


Short-Circuit

by LazyWriterSF



Series: LWSF's Short-Circuit Series [1]
Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-08-23 05:48:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 102,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8316217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyWriterSF/pseuds/LazyWriterSF
Summary: Everything seemed to be fine. Fox had killed Andross, avenged his father's death, Star Wolf and its members were finished, the Lylat Wars had ended and Corneria was finally at peace. But not everything is exactly as it seems, as Fox is bound to realize once a new mission rolls in and his entire world is flipped upside-down.





	1. Aftermath

I can almost feel the heat in my Arwing as I fly as fast as I can through the confines of this damned base, the only thing keeping my sanity in the midst of all this chaos being another Arwing flying in front of me, guiding me to my salvation. I begin to approach it, when it suddenly turned left and I follow, narrowly avoiding hitting the wall in the process. At last, I can see a tunnel leading outside to the skies of Venom. I begin to use every bit of power I have left and boost through it as I hear another explosion take place behind me, shaking my ship.

"You've become so strong, Fox."

His face popped up in my feed a final time, our ships were so close to touching when we escaped. Sadly, there was another explosion as we both got out, my ship was sent spinning into the air while his was flying towards somewhere else. I could see from my cockpit the Great Fox high above me and my teammates descending from it to greet me, but that wasn't my concern. When I finally regained control of my ship, I tried to look around, trying to find that mysterious ship that had rescued me just a few moments earlier... Nothing.

"Fox, are you okay?"

"What happened, Fox?"

"Did you get 'em or not?"

My teammates' voices echoed through my cockpit, but I still couldn't bring myself to care. I kept on searching for him, only to find myself more and more on the verge of a break down every time I couldn't. I finally gave up once I heard Peppy calling out for me a second time, he seemed really worried about me.

"Hey... is something wrong, Fox?"

"Nothing... nothing's wrong."

I replied bluntly, trying to hide away my true emotions. I had to recompose myself, there was something more important to them and the rest of Lylat to address.

"Andross is dead, I've killed him."

Once again, the words come out of me in a blunt way. Even though I had avenged my father, this wasn't bringing any happiness to me, but at least it sparkled excitement on my team's face.

" _Way to go, Fox!_ "

"Okay, I admit it. You did good, Fox."

He really doesn't waste a chance to bring me down, does he?

"Oh, Fox... If only your father could see you right now..."

Then again, maybe he did. At least that cheered me up, even if just a little.

"C'mon everyone, there's no time to waste. Let's report back to the general, I hear they're planning to throw a _big_ celebration for us!"

Peppy then started to fly away back to the Great Fox, and so did we. Maybe I shouldn't feel so sad about it, after all. Now that my father is avenged and the Lylat system is safe from harm, we can finally rest.

* * *

We had just docked our ships and were walking towards the Bridge together, talking about our experience along the way.

"Man, these Star Wolf guys were sure a pain in the butt. If that damn fleet hadn't screwed my ship, I would've been the one taking on Andross."

Falco commented, cocky as always. Slippy then followed, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"Yeah, but sad for them, Fox had put them to run with their tails between their legs."

I chuckled and shook my head at the comment.

" _Hmph_ , whatever."

We kept on walking, but a while later, Peppy asked me something.

"So, Fox. You took down Star Wolf, then what?"

"Huh?"

"After you took 'em down, how did you get to Andross?"

"Uh... why are you asking?"

"I have to send a detailed report to the army after we're done, and since you're the only one who knows what really happened, you might as well tell me."

I didn't know what to say, the whole thing was surreal. All I remember was finding Andross reduced to a giant, dismembered, floating head with a pair of description-matching hands. Underneath it, there was what I assumed to be his true form, a gigantic brain with electrically attached eyeballs, capable of teleportation and sending telekinetic messages to my Arwing. And then... there was my father. He was supposed to be dead, but there he was, calling my name and guiding me to the exit as if he could predict what would happen to me had I gone the wrong path. In the end, I was the only who saw it, none of my friends had commented anything about seeing another ship flying out of that base. Did all of this really happen, or have I just imagined it? Do I even deserve to be paid for something I can't even tell if it was real or not?

...

It's pointless worrying about it. All in all, the job they had given us was to halt as many of Andross's forces as we could, infiltrate that base and destroy it, and I did just that. With the destruction of his weapon supply depot in Macbeth, his defense fleet from Area 6, and his top star fighters, it doesn't really matter whether Andross is dead or not, he is powerless. Besides, it's not like anyone can really confirm what happened down there, there was just me and what I assume was Andross. But I can't just tell the army all this madness was what really happened, I'd be either branded a fraud, a lunatic or they would try to send a few investigation teams to locate both Andross and my father, a waste of good resources and men.

"Fox?"

I hear Peppy asking for my attention, so I turn to him and explain.

"Oh... I, uh... After I got rid of Star Wolf, I docked my ship inside the base. I explored it for a while, killing a few hundred soldiers along the way, 'til I found Andross sitting around in a command center. I executed him on the spot, then I triggered some sort of self-destruct mechanism. I hopped back in my Arwing and flew away before the explosion could take me, then I saw you guys on the way out."

Peppy continued to look at me inquisitively, as if he felt there was something more to my little tale. I looked back at him and replied.

"That's all."

"Hmm... I'll see what I can do with that."

We then continued to walk towards the bridge, talking about other random topics along the way.

* * *

Back in the bridge, we all assumed our positions and waited until ROB could establish connection with the general. We haven't made any contact since before invading Area 6, where he expressed gratitude for our support.

...

Yes, it really doesn't matter whether Andross is alive or not, we have already won this war for Corneria. ROB was giving a few final touches to the console he was operating, and not long after that, the communications feed was alive, emitting static. I had then decided to start the communication procedure.

"This is Star Fox team to General Pepper, can you read us, general?"

It didn't take long for the general's figure to show up in the feed, a sand-colored hound, sporting a red military outfit with a cap, wielding a serene look on his face.

"We can read you, loud and clear, Star Fox. What's your status?"

"Good news, general. The enemy base has been destroyed, Andross has been taken down."

I smile once I finish speaking, his eyes shoot up in amazement and he clapped his hands together.

" _Splendid!_ Star Fox, we are in your debt. If there's anything we can do to repay you..."

"Don't worry, sir. We'll be discussing our payment once we get back to Corneria."

"Oh no, my gratitude for your services transcends beyond money. I'd be honored to offer you a position in the Cornerian Army as my 'thanks' offering, if you'd like."

I pause for a moment to think, covering my muzzle with a hand.

"Can we give our answer at another time, general?"

"Of course, we've been preparing a celebration in your honor. I hope you'll have your minds set by then."

"Yes, hopefully. Star Fox out!"

* * *

A day and a half had passed since we had launched a strike on Venom, we were heading back to Corneria City with the Great Fox about to enter the planet's atmosphere. Before hopping into our Arwings and taking off, Slippy had handed each of us a smoke filter he developed for the ships. He said the general asked us to use it, that it would help lift the citizens' spirits, so we did. As we flew above the city, we could see Corneria in all its glory, buildings rebuilt like nothing had ever happened and the townspeople cheering us on for our victory. It put a smile on my face, this is the planet I've fought for, filled with devoted, strong and hopeful souls. We flew our way to the event's location, leaving a trail of multi-colored smoke behind as the Great Fox followed us.

As we got there, we landed and were greeted by another crowd of grateful onlookers. We waved back to them as we walked forward and entered the building, where a classy party was taking place. It had everything this kind of event would have, violinists; a variety of appetizers and drinks; and almost everyone dressed in a formal way that made my team look like aliens. Thankfully, nobody seemed to care about our outfits, not like they could say anything about it either, we _are_ supposed to be the main attraction, after all. We had met a few high profile faces who had come to greet us and congratulate us on saving the system, and then they left us to join the celebration. As the time passed, I was the only one left. Slippy had separated from the group to go talk with his father, Beltino Toad; Peppy had left early to pay a visit to his family; Falco was sitting quietly in an isolated table next to the corner, wolfing down the food before I left him.

I went off to grab some champagne, when suddenly, I hear someone call for me from behind.

"Fox~ So glad you could make it."

I know that voice, it had somewhat of a laid back and carefree accent. I smile and turn around to greet him.

"Bill, nice to see you again!"

I give him a high-five and continue.

"How's it been since Katina?"

"Eh, quite boring. Nothing really happened since you guys left. How about Star Fox?"

I laugh a bit before replying.

"Well, what do you think? We just arrived after winning a war, Bill."

"Ah, no, that's not what I meant. I mean, what you're gonna do with Star Fox?"

"Huh? What you mean by that?"

"I don't know. Two years ago, you said you were leaving us to avenge your father. Well... your father's avenged. So, what you're gonna do now?"

"Oh..."

I look away from him and start taking a sip of my drink, then respond.

"I'm keeping Star Fox, it's the least I can do to let the memory of my father live on, everyone else seems okay with it."

"Aw, sucks man."

Bill then walks beside me and grabs a drink too.

"I was hoping you'd come back to the army with us, so we could work together like the old times."

"You know, there's always an open spot for you on _my_ team."

"Nah, it's okay, bro. I like my job, but maybe we'll meet each other again, if we get another war."

He jokes and takes a sip of his drink before walking away waving goodbye.

"See ya around, Fox!"

I wave back at him with a smile, then proceed to finish my drink. I was about to take another one, but then I heard some commotion taking place at the entrance. I start walking past the guests to inspect it, from afar, I can hear a female voice shouting something.

" _I told you, I'm with them!_ "

"Yeah, you and some other thousand out there, missy."

Finally, I reach the center where everyone had made a circle and was looking down at a few guards pinning down some girl. I decided to ask.

"What's going on over here?"

"Don't worry about it, McCloud. This girl-"

Suddenly, the pink-furred kitten shots up from the ground and yells at me.

" _Fox! Tell these freaks I'm with you!_ "

One of the guards then looks at me and asks.

"You know her, Mr. McCloud?"

"Me? Uh... Yeah, she's cool. Let her go!"

The guards then loosened their grip on Katt and moved on to disperse the crowd around us.

"Move along, everybody. Nothing to see here!"

She then stood up and started dusting off her outfit.

"Hey there, Fox. Long time, no see."

"Katt, what are you doing here?"

"I heard you guys were throwing a party and you didn't invite me!"

She then walked towards me and pointed a finger to my chest.

"Is this what I get for helping you guys save the galaxy?"

I brush her arm off and shoot a disappointed glare.

"If you wanted to come so bad, you should've just called us."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that?"

She replied giggling, she then looked around looking for someone, then looked back at me.

"Hey, where's Falco at?"

"Over here..."

I point to behind me, then start walking in his direction, guiding Katt towards him. We approached his table and saw him still wolfing down some of the food, we sat down in the opposite side. When he finally paid attention to us and saw the one sitting beside me, he started having a cough fit. After regaining his voice, he yelled at my table mate.

" _Katt, who the hell invited you here?!_ "

"Is that any way to greet a girl?"

She replied in a flirty tone, blinking her eyes seductively. From that point, I knew this was gonna be a _long_ day.

* * *

We sat there for a few hours, talking with Katt about several things. Star Fox; Our past missions; How I met Falco; She even asked me to 'repay' her for helping us out on Zoness and Sector Z... as if we even asked her help to begin with. That's something I've always found annoying about her since we first met on Zoness, she walks in uninvited, does some stuff, then walks away acting like we owe her our lives. I can't understand why Falco dislikes her, though. They're a perfect annoying match for each other, but you know what they say, 'opposites attract, likes repel.'

"So, Falco. Did you find a girlfriend yet?"

"Never did, never will. I fly solo, baby!"

" _Pffft!_ "

I quickly move a hand to cover my muzzle and suppress my laughter. Falco then looks at me furiously and asks.

" _What's so funny_?!"

"N-nothing..."

I can't help myself but giggle a little.

"Well, _excuse me,_ _ **Fox**_. But when was the last time _you_ got a girlfriend?"

"Who, me? Well..."

I look away ashamed, trying to remember. Then look back at him, smiling like an idiot.

"I once met this vixen in elementary, she was _so_ hung on me!"

Katt then began to laugh at us.

"This is so pathetic, the toughest guys in Lylat, and none of you have company. Now, isn't that sad?"

"Whatever!"

Falco replied rather stoically, I proceeded to try a few appetizers myself. After a short while, I saw the general walking towards our table. I wave at him as he approaches us.

"Ah~ Good evening, Fox; Falco; And uh..."

"Katt, Katt Monroe."

The feline replied before the general could say something else.

"Oh, so _you're_ the Katt I've been reading in my reports, I presume?"

"Yes, that's me."

She said, smiling and fixing her hair.

"Speaking of which, when will I get my fair shares for helping Corneria?"

Me and Falco glare at her while she just shrugs it off, the general just raised an eyebrow.

"I believe we can discuss this afterwards. For now, I need to speak with Fox alone."

"Oh, sure."

I say before standing up and walking away from the table with the general, we walked towards an appetizers table with a lack of presence, so that no one would hear us. And then, he started.

"Enjoying the party, Fox?"

"Uh, yes. It's been pleasant."

"I'm glad to hear it. But anyway, have you taken your decisions yet?"

"Right. Well, general, me and my team have been talking about it and... We prefer doing things our own way. I hope you understand."

"Oh... that's a real shame."

He lowers his head after hearing my answer.

"Fox, if there's anything I can do to repay you..."

"Don't worry about it, we're happy to just serve Corneria anytime you want."

He smiles.

"I know that, but if you ever need anything from me, anything at all, don't hesitate. I'll be glad to grant you!"

I begin to smile as well.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir."

We laughed, shared a few stories, then he had to leave and told me to enjoy the party. I went back to my table and spent the rest of my time with Falco and Katt, Bill eventually joined afterwards and we remained like that until everything came to an end.

I felt myself really accomplished that day, and everyone else seemed to share the same feeling about our future.

No matter what happens, Star Fox will live on.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_And there it is, the remake for "Thoughts in Short-Circuit"._

_If it wasn't obvious enough, this version will take itself way more seriously and way less slashified than the previous one._

_Of course, it's not going to be a carbon-copy of the original, a lot of things will be drastically different, but it will start and end the same way._

_I'm sorry for everyone who were waiting for updates on the sequel of my original fic, but as I stated time and time again, I didn't like it. I destroyed the characters in that fic, and if I continued past that point, I'd risk destroying them more by patching them with a bad story._

_I'll try to make this version short and interesting to compensate for it._


	2. Sole Survivor

Four days had passed since our visit to Corneria, by then, we had returned to our usual daily basis. The Great Fox floated around Corneria's orbit while we roamed around its hallways and waited for a job offer. Some of us would spend their time by having a hobby, Slippy usually just spent his time sleeping or developing something handy; Peppy would pay a visit or two to our recreation room; Me and Falco mostly stayed at the bridge playing some sort of video game, Slippy even made some for us to compete against each other, but like I said, these are just hobbies. Things are bound to get boring after a while, not that I wish the peace of Lylat could be interrupted just after a war, but we still need to put food on the table. Thankfully, the payment we received after the last mission would be enough to keep us around for a few more years, even if we spent the whole time doing nothing.

But it doesn't really matter for now, I don't mind a little peace between us. I like to think of this as some sort of vacation, my only concern is that it lasts forever. Suddenly, I hear ROB's voice echoing through the room.

"Incoming. Message. From. General Pepper. Priority. Four."

Well, looks like my prayers have been heard. Priority four usually meant some of the low-rank missions, mostly involving escort and/or the disposal of a few space pirates, easy stuff. I walk towards the bridge, where everyone is waiting, and order ROB to start the briefing.

"This is General Pepper to Star Fox team, can you read me, Star Fox?"

"Loud and clear, sir."

The video feed stabilizes and displays his figure.

"Greetings Star Fox, I have a new mission in store for you."

He adjusted his cap before continuing.

"Yesterday, one of our bases in Corneria has received a mysterious distress call from an unidentified fighter ship tracing back to Venom."

I start rubbing my chin once he finished.

"Hmm... an unidentified ship from Venom... Don't you think it could be an ambush organized by the remnants of Andross's army?"

"Yes, that's what we suspect, mostly. But in any case, there still is the possibility the source comes from stranded prisoners liberated by our victory. We want you to travel to Venom and investigate the source, deal with whatever hostile forces you may encounter and rescue any possible survivors. Understood?"

Suddenly, Peppy stood up and spoke in midst of the briefing.

"Another mission for suspicious activity on Venom... You're not secretly planning to kill us, are ya Pepper?"

The general laughed at the joke.

"Ohohoho, of course not. Star Fox, can you do it?"

I looked over to my team and everyone nods confidently.

"You can count on us!"

"Perfect! I'll be sending the coordinates of the last received signal to you in no time. Pepper out!"

The transmission ends and everyone returns to their previous activities, except for Peppy. I look at him and notice he's acting a little uneasy, I walk up to him and place my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Peppy. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting a feeling of complete 'deja-vu' over here."

"Don't worry, nobody's gonna die this time. We'll go through Andross's army again if we need to!"

I see him smiling up a bit and looking at me, the smile seemed a little forced, though.

"Thanks, Fox. I needed that."

I pat him in the shoulders, then turn to ROB.

''ROB, put the Great Fox on the run. We're heading to Venom!"

* * *

Another day and a half flew by, and right now, it's been about a week since we last visited this planet. There was no fleet to stop us this time, no deadly missiles heading for the Great Fox, no secret bio-weapons, nothing. We entered the planet's atmosphere, always keeping our guards high up while we searched the area. Slippy had the exact location of the source we were supposed to find, our team had dispersed to search the surroundings for any signs of an ambush. Our radars also didn't detect any anomaly, so we quickly discarded the possibility of a surprise attack and moved on to the rescue part. We approached the source ship's location, and upon taking a good look, I could see it crashed on the ground.

That ship was colored silver with some parts colored red, I instantly raise my guards up once I realize that it's likely a Wolfen, raising the possibility that the caller was one of Star Wolf's crew members. I quickly turn my communications feed on.

"Slippy, can you detect if there are any other ships around?"

"No, Fox. No enemies in sight."

"Alright, you guys keep an eye on me, I'm going down there!"

"Remember, Fox. Venom's atmosphere is barely breathable, hold as much breath as you can and only stay outside as long as you need to."

Peppy reassures me.

"I know that."

I finish the transmission and descend my Arwing to land closer to the downed ship, I open the canopy and cover my muzzle with one hand as I start walking towards the crashed Wolfen. With my other hand holding a blaster and ready to shoot, I think about the many possibilities of who might be inside, if they're still conscious and what could they possibly do if I give them a chance to react. I take my hand off my muzzle and quickly jump up to the cockpit pointing my blaster at the pilot. Thankfully, he was laying down in the seat unconscious and badly wounded, the canopy glass cutting through his body as his face demonstrated signs of undernourishment, but that wasn't enough for me to keep my cool. Once I saw who the source caller was, my mind went into a trance, baring nothing, but feelings of spite, rage and vengeance.

"You..."

That man... No, that _demon_ in the cockpit, sporting that intimidating trench coat with the eye patch, there was no mistaking as to who it was.

" _I thought I got rid of you!_ "

* * *

_"Sorry, Fox. I gotta sit this one out!"_

_Peppy said as his ship had reached a critical stage, I saw his ship flying away towards the Great Fox for refuge as Pigma started coming directly after me while Wolf tailed me from behind and shot me whenever he could._

_"Ha! There's no one to help you now, Fox. Say hello to your father!"_

_I hear the cocky canine taunt me through my comm._

_"Daddy screamed REAL good before he died!"_

_"FUCK - YOU!"_

_I screamed at the top of my lungs as I started flying in Pigma's direction, shooting at him as fast as I could while performing barrel rolls to dodge Wolf's laser blasts. My ship suffered at the consequences of my recklessness, but to my comfort, so did Pigma's. He eventually reached his ship's critical stage while mine still had most of its shields intact. I snap back to reality and try to get Wolf off my tail unsuccessfully, and right after I looked back to him, I could no longer see Pigma. A quick look at my radar indicated he was actually coming from above me on the right of my ship, ready to strike while Wolf keeps me at bay for him to succeed. I devise a plan, I perform a somersault and wait until Wolf mimics it as I expected him to, making me avoid Pigma's blasts in the process._

_"That little trick won't work with me anymore, Fox!"_

_Too bad for that clueless mutt, I positioned myself right in front of his shooting range and waited for him to shoot, and he did. As Pigma approached with ferocity, I performed a precise barrel roll that not only deflected Wolf's blasts, but sent them straight at Pigma's direction, destroying the last of his shields and taking him out completely._

_"This can't be happening!"_

_I hear him scream, followed by the sound of an explosion._

_"Impressive, Fox. You're good, but I'm better!"_

_Now, I could focus my attention on the real culprit, Wolf O'Donnell. Ever since we've met, he's been vowing to kill me for no good reason other than what I assume is his naturally evil nature. This conflict goes even further than just me, it dates back to the old Star Fox team, where he and my father would exchange fire from time to time. What I didn't know back then was that he was employed by Andross himself to get rid of Star Fox once and for all. Pigma might've been the one who set the team up, but the dirty swine couldn't have the skill to match my father's, nor Peppy's. Andross needed someone who could fire the final blast on them, and that's where Wolf came in. He murdered my father while he tried to create a diversion for Peppy to escape. Ever since I've learned about this, I promised I'd get rid of Wolf for good, and today wouldn't be any different._

_"In your dreams!"_

_I quickly move my ship to the left, away from his line of sight as much as possible. Wolf realized what I was about to do and did his best to not lose me, shooting at me whenever I was vulnerable. My strategy wasn't quite working and my shields were about to go down below the 50% mark. I devised a new plan and used all of my ship's power to boost into the horizon, expecting Wolf to follow. He took the bait and taunted me of being a coward, and soon followed me, boosting his way through and shooting at me from the distance. I waited until he was close enough and rerouted the remaining of the power to the brakes, my ship came to an abrupt halt as he surpassed me, enough for me to gain distance. This was my chance, I fired with all my might and waited for him to perform the evasive maneuver that would leave his ship vulnerable for attack._

_By the time he did, I launched a bomb and it was a straight hit, causing most of his shields to go to waste. He was now in critical stage, but this didn't stop his cocky attitude from realizing his demise. I could see his ship in the horizon beginning to perform a U-Turn as he was preparing himself to shoot me up front. Even though I was winning, he taunted me through my comm feed one last time._

_"Got any final wishes, Fox?"_

_I didn't hesitate, stomping my foot on the boost pedal and knowing what to do next, I shout._

_"You're dead!"_

_My ship began to thrust forward with extreme speed, and before Wolf could even finish performing that U-Turn, I rammed my Arwing against his Wolfen and sent him spiraling through the air. I didn't care about the damage it caused me, that was the one thing I needed to take him down and I was completely satisfied with the outcome. The last I heard was the sounds of his ship losing control and alarms firing off, followed by a series of explosions that was music to my ears._

_"No way! I don't believe it! He's... better than... me?!"_

_The feed showed me what would become of him, the cockpit was flashing with red and the screen slowly became completely white, I took this as a sign of his impending death and didn't even bother to check the result of our battle. With one part of my hunger for revenge satiated, I turned my ship around and headed for the final monster I needed to slain to avenge my father. I flew back to the entrance of his base, none of my teammates were in condition to fight and my ship was busted bad from the showdown with Star Wolf. But I could care less about it, I couldn't wait any longer._

_"So, it's all coming down to this!"_

_I fly my ship upwards and come down crashing on the enemy base, determined to complete my mission as I disappear into the depths of hell._

* * *

I wanted to abandon him, to leave him there to suffer at Venom's mercy. His condition was terrible, and it would only grow worse from there. He would die, slowly, painfully, with no one else around to remember him, an ending so fitting for the likes of him that I couldn't wish for any more. A quick death was too good for him, and prison would just mean he would be kept well fed and alive, only to come back one day and bother me again. Sadly, my current mission was to rescue him, and I wouldn't put Star Fox's relationship with Corneria at risk, my team deserved better than that. I pick up my comm up and call the others.

"This is Fox, I've found the source. His condition is fatal, so I want you to prepare the med-bay as quickly as possible. I'm coming back!"

I throw some pieces of shards around and lift Wolf's body up until I start carrying him around in my shoulder. I walk back to my ship and place him behind the seat of my cockpit, I then hop in myself and close the canopy shut as I fly my way back to the Great Fox. As I dock my ship, I am greeted by the sight of Falco waiting for me with a stretcher ready. I place Wolf in it and strap him tight as we make our way to the med-bay, where we rejoin with the rest of the team. Everyone takes a good look at the unconscious lupine laying in front of me and get quite a shock from the view, Peppy in particular looked terrified, for the lack of a better word.

"Hey, isn't that the leader of Star Wolf?"

Slippy asks me, apparently more curious than scared.

"Yeah, that's him. Do you think he's gonna make it?"

I reply as he moved closer and began checking on Wolf.

"I think so, his condition doesn't seem fatal enough."

He pulled the stretcher and placed Wolf on some sort of life-support system. A gas-mask was placed on top of his muzzle and a few tubes were placed on his body, Slippy turned on the machine and it began injecting some fluids into his blood. The machine started beeping and displayed his heart rate, which seemed stable. For the moment, it looked like Wolf was gonna be okay in due time. Peppy then walked up beside me and spoke up.

"We should go back to the bridge and report this to the general."

I nod as he motioned for everyone else to follow. We headed out of the room and started making our way towards the bridge, where we reported back to the general and explained the situation. He instructed us to bring Wolf back to Corneria, where they would hold him captive and determine what punishment would be most fitting for him. The transmission had ended and Slippy felt worried when he saw me walking away from the bridge without saying a word.

"Hey, Fox. Shouldn't we be setting the course back to Corneria or something?"

"Not now, I want a chance to interrogate that guy first, maybe I can get a thing or two from him. For now, let's keep orbiting around Venom, it's possible the rest of Star Wolf will show up and try to take him away. Maybe we'll even get a bonus from this!"

I joke with the last sentence, Slippy nodded at me and everyone moved on to do their own thing. I head back to my room and reflect about my history with Wolf, as well as how I'm gonna handle dealing with him as soon as he wakes up. Then, I reflect about what Corneria is planning to do with Wolf as soon as we hand him over. I just hope that, whatever it is, it will make the rest of his life like a living inferno.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES**   
_

_And here we go again, as you can see here, the pacing is getting slightly faster than the first fic. Whether that's a good thing or not, I don't know. Please tell me in reviews..._

_Actually, just review altogether, gimme something to live for... please?... Ok then :/_


	3. Thorns of the Past

A few hours after bringing Wolf aboard, he slowly began to regain his consciousness. He groaned and opened his eyes only to receive a flash of white blinding him, closing them shut again. He tried moving a hand to cover his face from the ceiling lights, only to realize he couldn't move it. He tried moving the rest of his body and eventually realized something was restraining it down, lifting his head and opening his eyes again revealed to him that he was strapped to a stretcher with a number of tubes infusing him with some sort of liquid. He squirmed and tried to break free to no success, tried to yell only to be muffled by the gas mask he was wearing. Someone who was in the room out of his sights ran to restrain him back, shouting something while he did.

"Stop moving, you'll only make it worse!"

Wolf stopped and tried looking around for the source of the voice, he found Slippy and his face became filled with rage.

" _Mmmffhh! Mmmmffhh!_ "

He tried to say while trying to break free more viciously than before.

"Huh? What'd you say?"

Slippy then moved his hand to remove the gas mask from Wolf's face, who stopped squirming and inhaled deeply, then yelled at him.

" _I said, take this crap off me!_ "

The toad then walked away and turned off the life-support machine, followed by removing the tubes off Wolf's body and leaving him strapped to the stretcher. Despite his anger, Wolf could still feel light-headed and couldn't think straight of the situation he found himself in, watching as the toad walked away from view, getting the equipment back in place before returning to him.

"The drug is gonna take an hour or so to wear off, I suggest you to rest here and not move too much."

He heard him say before he walked away and moved out of the room, leaving him alone to his own thoughts. His only company being the blinding lights from the ceiling on top of him and the sounds of the mother ship thrusting forward, producing oxygen for him to breathe. He laid his head back to the cushion he was laying on top of and rested his eyes, slowly drifting off until he could think straight again.

* * *

It's been some time Slippy has told me Wolf had awakened, we gave him some time to sober up, then went to interrogate him in the med-bay. The four of us walked in, the moment we did, he began to lift his head up to look at us from his position. Peppy and Slippy decided to maintain distance and stay behind as me and Falco walked up to Wolf's stretcher, standing right in front of it. There were about a million different ways I had come up to take what I wanted out of Wolf, most of which involved some kind of hardcore torture and humiliation. For the sake of his cooperation, however, I wanted to start going soft, then slowly raising the stakes up if he didn't pay any attention to me. With that in mind, I began.

"Feeling better?"

I stoically ask him, he didn't answer and just tried to break free from the stretcher. He didn't succeed and looked back at me, obviously irritated.

"Unstrap me!"

"Sure thing, but only after you answer a few questions of mine."

I said, crossing my arms. He then stared at me with an angry, questioning look.

"Before you're going to ask, Andross has lost the war. We won!"

Being the sore loser he is, he just chuckled and rolled his eyes after I said that.

"Sure you did..."

I try to ignore his comment and start walking up next to him.

"About three days ago, you've sent a Cornerian base a plea for help from within your ship. We've found you alone stranded in Venom, without the rest of your crew around the area. Care to tell us where they are?"

Wolf stared at me with contempt and paused before replying.

"I have no idea about it, and even if I did, why would I want to tell _you_?"

"Because I'm not asking..."

I say sternly as I stand on the side of his stretcher, pull my blaster out and start waving it at his face in an attempt to scare him.

"Listen, O'Donnell, you've already lost. So do as I say, or I can make things _really_ bad for you."

I try to sound as intimidating as possible, then point the nose of my blaster directly at his face.

"Now tell me, where are they?!"

"I don't know."

He says with a neutral tone to his voice. I retract my arm and throw a hook to his muzzle, blaster still in arm giving the punch an extra amount of force. He takes it and hisses in pain, then turns his head around to look back and yell at me.

" _Why, you little-_ "

Before he could finish, I threw another hook at his muzzle, silencing him, then return to pointing my blaster to his face.

" _Where are they, Wolf?!_ "

" _I told you I don't know!_ "

I move my blaster to my left hand and throw him the hardest punch I could produce and hit him in the snout, the bandage he used to have there came off and he started bleeding from the wound, along with the orifice. From the distance, I could hear Slippy pleading for me to stop, but I didn't pay any attention.

" _Fox, what are you doing_?!"

He rushed forward and tried to intervene, but Peppy grabbed him from behind and held him in place. I ignored Slippy's chants and once again pointed my blaster at Wolf's face, this time practically shoving it into his cheeks, making him feel the heat coming from its nose.

"I'll give you one last chance, Wolf... _WHERE - ARE - THEY_?!"

" _I don't fucking know!_ "

He yelled louder than before, his voice had become more serious and furious, so I start listening on the premise he was being honest out of rage.

" _You think if I knew where they were, I would've called THEM instead?! Honestly, how stupid can you get?!_ "

"Alright..."

I remove my blaster from his cheeks and start walking away.

"Now, let's assume you _didn't_ know where Star Wolf was. Why would you call Corneria?"

" _What the hell do you mean by that?!_ "

"Surely, a guy like you has one or two contacts who could get you out of this. You have a long crime history with Corneria, and I'm sure you knew asking for our help would lead to your imprisonment. This led us to assume you were organizing an ambush against the army. So tell me, why Corneria of all people?"

I look at him expecting him to answer, he doesn't. He just stares at me for a good while before throwing out something dull.

"Because _fuck you_ , that's why!"

I sigh and shake my head while rubbing my temples, then mutter something.

"This is hopeless..."

" _No!_ I'll tell you what's hopeless, McCloud!"

Apparently, he could hear me. I lift my head up and look back at him as he continued.

"Thinking that you've won when I've already sent that little _bitch_ you call your father to the morgue!"

That was when I began to lose control, my face slowly begins to frown into fury while I look at him. The bastard knew how to get under my skin, and it showed, because the angrier I got, he looked more satisfied, widening that stupid-looking grin on his face.

"Heh, you must've loved him _so_ much, right?! It's too bad now you gotta live with the fact your old man is _rotting_ in hell, all thanks to me!"

By the time he finished, my mind was gone, I began growling at him and grinding my teeth in a way that showed my bare fangs, while he looked like he was having a hell of a time from this.

"Tell me, Fox. Who really wins here, me or you?!"

I couldn't stand anymore, I quickly reached for my blaster and pointed it at his forehead, a split-second away from pulling the trigger and saying goodbye to his good-for-nothing existence.

" _Fox, no!_ "

However, Falco, who was standing right by my side, screamed and pushed me away before I could, and the blast had ultimately missed Wolf by a few mere inches. I then stare back at Falco with great indignation and we started yelling at each other.

" _What the hell, Falco?!_ "

" _Fox, you fool. You almost ruined the whole mission!_ "

" _Since when do you care about what I do with the enemy, huh?!_ "

" _Since bringing the enemy back alive is the priority, or did you forget that?!_ "

I realized I couldn't make a comeback after that, so I let both of us calm down.

"Idiot... you almost screwed us out of a paycheck!"

He walked closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder for comfort, something I'd never expect from him.

"Don't let him get to you, man. In no time, he's gonna be rotting away in a cell block and we're never gonna see him again."

I nod at his reassurance and reply softly.

"You're right..."

But I wouldn't let him get away with what he said, oh no. I _had_ to get my payback, so I slowly started walking back to his stretcher, approaching him as he watched me wondering what I was about to do. As I got to his side, I lowered my head down to his face and spat on it, aiming at his only good eye. I took a few steps back and watched in satisfaction as he got the most enraged I had ever seen of him in my whole life. He started yelling at me and desperately trying to break free from the straps that restrained his body, it was a delightful sight to see.

" _You fucking bastard! Just wait until I get my hands on you, McCloud! I'm gonna piss over your grave and kill everyone else you ever loved! Just wait for it!_ "

"Falco, take him out of here."

I give the order with a wide, smiling grin on my face. To say I didn't love the scene would be an understatement, it was beautiful watching Wolf being taken away from the room while screaming every sort of obscenity and ineffectively trying to harm me. I look back at Peppy, who was still holding Slippy from stopping me, and I order them to set the course back to Corneria, as I had realized any possibility of having a civil interrogation with Wolf would likely lead to disaster. Peppy nods and walks away from the room while Slippy looks at me quite mad, I wasn't paying attention to him, so it left me wondering what did I do wrong. He walked up to me and started shouting in a reprimanding tone.

"Fox, why did you do that?!"

I chuckle a bit.

"Do what?"

"Attacking Wolf, then spitting on him. That was really uncalled for!"

My grin fades away a little and I become a little confused by the accusation.

"You did hear what he said about my father, didn't you?! He had it coming."

I cross my arms and look away from the toad.

"Yeah, I did. But that was no reason for you to try and kill him. Specially because _you_ were the one who punched him for nothing!"

I look back at him, the most confused I had ever been.

"Slippy... when did you become so idealistic like that? You had no problem killing in the war."

"Killing someone because you _need to_ is very different from doing it because you can, and you know it. You were just kicking Wolf while he was already down, and that was cruel. It doesn't make you look any better than him!"

I mentally sigh and try my best not to lash out, he was never going to stop if I had let it go like that.

"Listen, Slippy. I'd love to live in a perfect world where everyone treats each other with respect and revenge is a bad thing, but I don't live there. If I did, both my parents wouldn't be dead and there would never be a Lylat war."

I place my hand on his shoulder and he becomes calmer.

"There's bad people out there, Slippy. They don't care about how you treat them, they're just gonna exploit it, so they can come back and hurt you more. One day, you're gonna learn that!"

I pat him on the shoulder and promptly leave the room, leaving him alone to think about what I said. Slippy and I may be of the same age group, but it was obvious he was way more gullible than me. After all, he had the privilege of both his parents being alive and well, not being targeted due to family ties, not suffering any major losses in his life or even having someone who has vowed to kill him throughout many years in a row for no reason. In fact, during our showdowns with Star Wolf, Slippy didn't demonstrate any hostility towards the enemy. Rather, he spent most of the time complimenting their skills and their aircraft, as if the fate of the system didn't rely on our victory. I can only hope he comes to understand the gravity of all this, after all, he's supposed to be a mercenary.

* * *

Falco tapped a few numbers on a keypad nearby, he hit the confirm button, and a buzz was heard. The door slid open, he went back to grab the stretcher containing Wolf and moved it inside. Once there, he started unstrapping the lupine bit by bit, and once he had unstrapped his second hand, Wolf moved on to attack. Thankfully, Falco had his blaster ready on stun mode, and fired a blast at him, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Nice try, buddy."

He snarked before going back to hold the stretcher once more and leaving the room with it, the door locking up once again as he did. A short while later, Wolf woke up feeling his joints screaming in pain at the bolt he had received. Once the pain had suppressed itself enough for him to focus his thoughts, he started inspecting the room he was located in. On the left, there was a cot mattress hanging out from the wall; On the front, there was a sink and a mirror connected to a few pipes, along with a small room in the right corner he assumed led to the toilet; The door behind him was electronically locked and could only be opened by the outside, rendering all attempts of escaping futile. He sighed in exasperation and muttered to himself.

"Hmph! I guess some things never change."

He walked up to the sink and turned the tap on, washing his face from the blood and spit I had inflicted, also drinking a small amount of tap water, which felt like heaven after drinking nothing over a week and having strange liquids injected into his blood stream. With nothing better to do, he then moved on to the bed and tried to get some sleep, trying to erase all problems surrounding him from his mind.

"Damn you, Fox. I'll make you pay for this, just you wait!"

A few hours pass by and Wolf is woken up abruptly by a certain toad walking in the room with a plate in his hands. As Wolf rubs his eyes awake and adjusts himself to a sitting position, Slippy approaches him and hands him the plate in his hands.

"Dinner time."

He took the plate and took a good look at its contents, then watched as Slippy was turning around and walking away from him. One of the things that attracted his attention was the blaster loosely holstered in one of his pockets. Suddenly, Slippy stopped walking and turned his head to look at him.

"By the way, sorry about the way Fox has been treating you lately. Even you deserve more respect than that!"

Wolf just shot him a vicious glare in return, and immediately after that, Slippy gave a slight chuckle and resumed walking until he left the room. The door was locked and he was finally out of sight, leaving Wolf alone with his dinner. He had doubts about eating it, but then remembered anything was better than being drugged and fed by a machine. He slowly started eating his food, and even though hunger was one of the things he had in mind, the only thing he could really focus on was finding a way to escape.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

Nothing to comment this time.


	4. Third Time's a Charm

Half a day had passed since we had found Wolf on Venom, the Great Fox was now roaming around space in course to Corneria. By the time zone we use, it would be 06:15 in the morning. We were passing through Fichina's orbit after leaving Sector X, everyone was asleep, sans Slippy. He had just eaten breakfast and brought a new plate containing a pill and placed it on a microwave. Soon enough, he had another portion of breakfast to give to Wolf. He approached the cell door and entered the code on the keypad, then the door slid open and he walked in, seeing the lupine already up and sitting as if he was waiting his arrival. Slippy's naive persona prevented him from stranging the situation, and from further noticing Wolf's single eye preying on his soul.

"Hey, Wolf. I brought you some breakfast!"

He said in his usual high-pitched, uplift voice, walking forward and ready to deliver the plate he had in his hands. The moment he came closer and stretched it out for him, that was when Wolf grabbed both of his arms and restrained them together to his back. The plate and its contents came crashing to the ground, breaking it in the process. With one hand restraining Slippy from behind, Wolf used the other one to secure the blaster he had.

" _HEEEELL- Mmmph! Mmmmph!_ "

Slippy's cries were silenced by Wolf, who found it difficult to keep the toad's large mouth in check, he quickly realized it was futile and resorted to holding the blaster against the toad's temple.

"Now listen here, you frog. Stay shut, do as I say and nobody gets hurt, _you hear me_?!"

He finished, pressing the blaster tighter against his head. Slippy could only nod silently, the only sound he made was the breath from his shuddering. Wolf grinned maliciously at the toad's fearful compliance and his own success.

"That's more like it."

* * *

I was sleeping in my room, unaware of the events that transpired, until I was woken up by the sounds of an explosion and a strong quake shaking the ship, flopping me out of bed. I slowly start to regain my composure and stand up, and just as I do, the ship's alarms fired off and my room was flashing with red. I pick my flight jacket up and run as fast as I can to the bridge, the others catching up with me along the way. When we reach there, we find Slippy trembling on the console next to ROB, we approach him and I grab both his forearms, trying to comfort him.

" _Slippy!..._ Slippy, what's the matter?!"

I yell, trying to snap him out of it. He looks at me terrified, then calms himself down and shouts back.

"It's Wolf, he's escaped!"

" _What?!_ "

"He took my Arwing and flew away, he's gone!"

" _How?!_ " I hear Peppy shout from behind us. "How could he get past all the security?! He couldn't do it alone!"

I stare back at Slippy and notice he began sobbing.

"It was me... I went to his cell to feed him... then he pulled me and- and- and he stole my blaster and pointed it to my head and-"

"You were _feeding_ him?!"

I shout angrily, immediately regretting it once Slippy shut his eyes and retracted his head in fear.

"I'm sorry, Fox. I'm sorry!"

" _Slippy, you idiot!_ " I hear Falco yell from behind us, he started walking towards our direction while clenching his fist. " _I swear to God, you-_ "

"Leave him, alone, Falco!"

I stand in front of him and stretch my arms out, blocking his path to Slippy. Once I notice him retracting his fists, I turn back to Slippy and try to comfort him once more.

"Slippy, look! There was nothing you could do about it, you did what you had to!"

I see him peeking out from his shock and nodding. I then turn to ROB and ask him the status of the Great Fox, to which he replies with saying our turbines had been totaled by a smart bomb. Heh, looks like Wolf left us a parting present. I command him to track the stolen Arwing down and he informs us the ship is roaming around Fichina's atmosphere. We were ready to move out and chase after Wolf, but just as we did, the main video feed buzzed with static, we approached the console to see who was calling us and ROB notified the transmission was coming from one of our Arwings. Just then, that familiar grinning face popped up to taunt us one more time as I start yelling at him.

"Hello, Star Fox. Like my new ship? I bet it'll cost a fortune once I sell it!"

"Wolf, you one-eyed freak! What the hell do you want?!"

"What I want?! I want a rematch, just me and you, Fox!"

"You wish! We're all going there to take you down, like you or not!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

What? What is he planning now?

"You see, there's quite a few research centers around here. I wonder how many people would die if someone went there and blasted everyone up."

I widened my eyes in concern and start clenching my fist tight, this monster wouldn't get away with this, I wouldn't let him.

"I'll give you ten minutes to get your ass over here, McCloud. And if I see more than one ship pop up on my radars, consider everyone else dead!"

He then closed the transmission, leaving us to ponder about the options we had. I bang my fist against the console in fury, how could he do such a thing?

"That guy's a complete idiot. He already has the ship, he could just fly away!"

I hear Falco commenting, I chuckle and tell him.

"I guess some people just can't take defeat all that well..."

I turn my head around to face everyone and warn them of my plans.

"He's not getting away with this, I'm going there!"

Peppy then turned up in concern for my safety.

"All by yourself, Fox? You can't do it, _it's suicide!_ "

"I took that guy down once, I can do it again. He's nothing! Besides, we can't risk innocent lives for just one criminal."

Not wasting any more time, I start to move out of the room, heading for the docking bay.

"So long as you realize, Fox, the priority is to bring him back _alive_."

I hear Falco comment once more, I chuckle and turn my head around to look at him.

"I'll remember that!"

I say half-heartedly, my intention wasn't to bring him back alive, but to take the life out of him. As there would be no witnesses, if anyone else complained, I would just tell them it was an accident and there was nothing I could do. There's no way I would let Wolf live, someone like him doesn't deserve to. With that in mind, I resumed walking, waving to my teammates as I part, soon sprinting and running towards my ship.

* * *

Flying through the skies of Fichina, I follow the coordinates ROB had given me to Wolf's whereabouts. Soon enough, I look at my radar and detect an ally ship, or in this case, enemy. I head towards it, and once I get close enough, my comm feed receives a transmission.

"So glad you could join me, Fox. I'll make sure you won't be getting out of here alive!"

He said it without a hint of sarcasm, completely convinced he'd win.

"We'll just see about that!"

I boost forward towards the ship's direction while following my radar and prepare to engage in battle. A short while later, once I get enough distance, I notice that I should have been able to see him in my sights, but I couldn't. I look around from my cockpit and spot him spiraling down from the skies and shooting at me very rapidly, I quickly react by performing a barrel roll and reflect the blasts away while boosting through and later performing a U-Turn in an attempt to tail him. As soon as my ship turned around, however, I couldn't see him in view. I take a quick glance at my radar and my eyes widened up when I realized he had performed a somersault to get right behind me. I didn't even have time to react properly as my ship shook violently when I had taken a series of hits from him.

" _Surprise, Fox!_ "

The bastard started tailing _me_ instead, and it didn't look like he was going away any sooner. He's been studying me from our previous dogfights, and no matter what I did, he'd mimic it and be back on my tail as soon as it was over. I tried to keep performing barrel rolls and reflect all of his blasts away while he kept shooting at me furiously from behind, occasionally getting a hit or two when I'd be left vulnerable after performing the move. Thankfully for me, Wolf had wasted all of his bombs on destroying the Great Fox's turbines, while I still had all of my three ones. This was something I had to take advantage of as quickly as possible, otherwise, I'd be done for. I begin taking a few glances at my surroundings, looking for a way to escape in that icy wasteland.

Suddenly, another hit shakes my ship and I hear the alarm firing off, signaling its shields had reached below 50%. Another glance at Fichina provides me with just what I was looking for. To my right below, I could see a narrow snow canyon, just wide enough for my Arwing to fit in. Still performing the barrel rolls, I turn and fly towards its direction, careful to avoid Wolf's blasts. When I finally get closer, I shoot two of my bombs at both ends of the canyon as I pass through the entrance, causing both sides to collapse and block Wolf's way. He was then forced to perform a U-Turn to avoid crashing into the pile of boulders and snow as I was flying my way upwards and coming right back after him. I could see him in my sights from above and locked the target on him, then released a smart bomb in hopes it would take him down.

He took note of the bomb and lured it to a nearby mountain, disappearing behind it and making the bomb hit the walls of ice before coming out towards me up front. Dammit, this asshole has been getting a lot better since Venom, and now he was coming after me. We started blasting at each other face-to-face, our ships almost colliding as we passed through each other, then we both started performing U-Turns and blasted at each other again in the slightest moment we could get. We kept repeating this process of turning around and blind-hitting for quite a few times, like a clash of two swords desperate to break the other one. We both managed to land a few hits on the other, but my ship had it worst, reaching its critical stage on less than 20% of power, while his was still at 85%.

I wouldn't hold much longer like this, I had to formulate yet another plan if I wanted to survive. As we continued the pattern of U-Turning, I waited until we passed through each other one more time. And instead of U-Turning, I performed a somersault just as Wolf was coming back, confusing him just enough for me to get right behind him. Bingo! Outsmarted him by using his own dirty trick against him, and now it was _my_ turn to give him a taste of his own medicine. I shot furiously against his ship, taking every opportunity I had when he was vulnerable from the barrel rolls he performed to avoid me. He was desperately trying to get me off his tail, but he was in my shoes now, _my mercy_ , and there was no way I would let him go.

Eventually, his ship had reached its critical stage as well, with the shields' power as low as 5%. We were flying atop the canyon I had used to rid myself of him, and with a wide grin on my face, I saw him performing yet another barrel roll. I started counting down in my head, waiting for that split-second when he would be vulnerable and I could shoot him. When that moment surfaced, I fired the final blast. His ship had lost a wing from my hit and was sent crashing down to the top of the canyon. The idiot didn't even attempt to eject in time, and damn right he didn't, because I would likely blast the hell out of him in mid-air. At that moment, I was satisfied enough, I could just well go back to the Great Fox, tell everyone he has died from the crash, and let him freeze to death on Fichina.

But I've seen him surviving this same scenario twice, and I wouldn't let it happen again, I had to make sure he wouldn't come back for me, _ever_. I start descending my Arwing close to the crash location and land it, opening the canopy and immediately being greeted by the deathly freezing weather of Fichina. Even with my fur and clothes, I could feel my body temperature decreasing every second. I wouldn't last long there, so I had to make this quick. I unholstered my blaster from my flight suit and hold it tight while walking towards the crashed ship, just then I could see its canopy being kicked open. A second later, Wolf pops out of the cockpit aiming at me with his stolen blaster, but by the point he would pull the trigger, I had already pulled mine and my blast hit his hands, sending his blaster flying away and getting buried under the thick snow.

Right after I had fired a shot, I quickly moved my blaster to point to his skull and fire a second one, but he jumps out of the cockpit and dodges it. He starts dashing towards me while I keep backing away and shooting several times, but the bastard was way too fast and managed to dodge all of them to my surprise. He managed to get close to me and used his claws to slash my hands with his left arm, sending my blaster flying away. He followed that with another swipe with his right arm, which I dodged by performing a back flip. I start searching for my blaster as fast as I can, which turned out to be an impossible task, with all the snow and fog surrounding me. I look back at Wolf, who was shaking his left hands and swiping my blood away from his claws, and he started grinning at me.

"Poor Fox, you're no match for me without your toys!"

I give up on looking for my blaster and get myself into my fighting stance.

"Bring it!"

His grin soon faded away into an angry frown and he started roaring and dashing towards me once more, his arms were positioned for another claw strike, which I had prepared myself for. He came at me, swiping his claws like a mad beast, I swiftly dodged his moves and grabbed one of his arms, then planted a knee-kick of mine into his chin. He flipped backwards, but quickly regained his balance when he landed and lashed out at me once more. This time, he tried kicking me repeatedly, with me blocking his blows and finally trying my luck at punching him. I miss, and the force I focused on the blow threw me off balance enough for him to grab me from my side, knee-kick me in the gut, and slash and kick me in the back. The kick sent me rolling on the ground, and the claw wounds mixed with the extra cold of the snow made me hiss in pain.

Once I looked up back at him, he was charging in to kick me in the face while I was still down. I used this to my advantage and leg-swiped him, and he fell down face-planting on the snow. While he tried to get up, I came jumping and crushing his back with my feet, then restrained him by kneeling down on it. I then threw a series of punches to the back of his head, forcing his skull to be crushed and eat snow each time my blows connected to him. He eventually managed to gather the strength to stop me and grabbed one of my arms as soon as I would deliver the next blow, and threw me to the side. I fell on my back on the snow and now _he_ was standing on top of me, and before I had any time to react at all, he had already planted his right arm's claws deep into my chest.

I screamed in pain and he grinned at my apparent helplessness, digging the claws deeper and swiping them in a split second to the side, ripping as much of my flesh as he could, and I could only scream louder. He then lifted his right arm up, ready to repeat the previous move, but I wouldn't let him. I retracted both of my legs until they were curled up against my chest and unleashed them full force into Wolf, who was sent flying away and landing on his back in the snow. The damage he had inflicted into me wasn't really fatal, but the extreme conditions we were in made it much worse. I started to stand up and my vision was now becoming blurry, I couldn't focus properly with my body bleeding like that and the freezing cold wind driving me nuts. This fight had to end, and it had to end _now_.

Just then, I remember we were on top of a canyon. I turned my head around to look behind me and I could see the edges from the distance. That was it! If I could lure Wolf there, I could kick him off from the edges and that would be instant victory for me. I then look back at him standing up and ready to charge towards me one more time, I then grin in satisfaction at his foolishness. This was almost way too easy, all I had to do was dodge his moves and he wouldn't even notice he was getting closer to a cliff in his blind fury. Just as I expected, he came charging at me, and I start running backwards without getting my eyes off his claws, which were ready to strike. Once he had gotten closer, I stop running and start backing away while dodging his swipes and kicks, all the while taking a few quick glances at the area behind me, waiting for the right moment to overpower him.

After many blows he missed, we get closer to the edge, and I realize it was my time to act. By the time he threw the next swipe, I ducked and swiftly moved behind him, switching our positions. By the time he turned around to face me, he didn't even had the time to react as I threw him an uppercut that connected to his chin, followed by my own series of kicks and hooks to his face. I made sure to moderate my blows' strength, making sure they weren't as strong as intended, but strong enough so I could execute them as quickly as possible and keep Wolf stunned until I could give him the final blow. Finally, we were just a few feet away from the edge, and that was when I started applying more strength to my blows. I started by giving him a nice kick to the chest.

" _Just!_ "

Then followed it by throwing a powerful elbow hook to his face.

" _Fucking!_ "

That was when he finally realized he was being thrown off balance by the cliff behind him, but it was far too late.

" _Die!_ "

I finished yelling by throwing a roundhouse kick that sent him falling down to his doom. He managed to keep enough balance and grabbed the edges with both his arms, trying to pull himself up with only his upper chest above the ground. Before he could do anything else, I took a few steps back and charged towards him, kicking him in the face and sending the rest of his body flying down the abyss. He once again managed to grab the edges, but now his entire body was dangling by his hands above the extremely high fall. I watched in satisfaction as he struggled to pull himself back up, but every time he did, his hands be thrown further back thanks to the slippery snow he was clinging to.

Proud of my certain victory, I started walking back to my Arwing, passing through the crashed ship and picking my blaster back up from the ground. All the while, I was smiling, thinking about the fact that Wolf would be dying soon, and not long after, I started imagining how gruesome the death would be. He would let go, his body would fall from such a great height, countless bones crushed, some of them popping out of his body... blood spilling everywhere... and all of that would happen while he was still conscious... he would _feel_ his entire body being torn apart while he blacked out... am I... feeling bad for him? But... Why should I? He deserves it, he murdered my father and tried to murder hundreds more, he has it coming.

Just then, I realized I had stopped walking, I _was_ feeling bad for him. Should I...? No! I need to get these thoughts out of my head, if I let him live, he'll just come back and commit more crimes against Lylat. I shake my head and resume walking towards my Arwing, pace faster than usual. Just then, I hear a loud *crack* sound coming from behind me, I turn around and notice part of the ground Wolf is clinging to is splitting and will eventually fall down along with him. My eyes shoot up in terror, and without even thinking, I find myself rushing back to save him before it was too late. I got closer to the edge and decided to lay down up front on the ground, careful to not make any sudden movements and end up killing us both.

I crawl up to the edge and find Wolf's hands still trying to pull himself up, I then stick my right arm out for him to grab and he grasps it with his left hand. Then I start holding both my arms against his hand and pull him back up, slowly getting on my knees while I did it. The ground then started to shake even more, so I speed up the process and apply more strength to my pull, slowly getting back on my feet and seeing Wolf's upper body reaching the surface. The wounds I had sustained from the battle were ripping open and I found myself hissing in pain as I pulled him back to safety. With the ground cracking even louder than before, I focus all the strength I had left in a final pull that sends both of us flying backwards to a safe zone.

I landed in the snow on my tail, while Wolf landed on all fours as a good chunk of snow and rocks behind him fell down the cliff and landed on the ground of that canyon. I did it! I've saved Wolf... I've saved... the guy who was trying to _murder me_?! I am such an idiot, now he has the opportunity to finish me off. What the hell was I thinking?! Wait... the blaster! I have a blaster! Thankfully, Wolf seemed just as confused as I was by my act and wasn't really focusing on my movements. Under the stinging snow, I unholstered my blaster and set it to stun mode, and right there and then, I lifted it up, pointing it to his chest and delivered a blow that rendered him unconscious. He fell on top of me, and I quickly spun him around and threw him to the side on his back.

I laid there for quite some time, not moving or doing anything, just panting and trying to take all of the adrenaline coursing through my body out. My mind was in a trance, completely blank. Just... what the hell happened?!

...

_I can feel the winds of Fichina blow against my fur._

...

Screw it! I have better things to do right now, as in, not freezing to death. I try to brush the recent events off my head and stand up, I pick the unconscious Wolf by his shoulders and start dragging him away towards my Arwing. Once we're there, I open the canopy and throw him inside the cockpit behind the seat, followed by hopping in myself and slamming the glass shut, and being greeted by the sweet, sweet warm of my ship. I establish a connection with the Great Fox and send a message to my team.

"This is Fox, I've managed to stop Wolf. I'm coming back with him now!"

I finish the transmission, start the engines up, make sure the G-Diffusers are in check, and once my ship whirls with life, I fly away towards my mother-ship.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Ugh, this chapter was a_ _**pain** _ _to write. As I said the first time I wrote this, I don't quite know how to write fight scenes, so this has been a challenge._

_On another note, people who have read the first fic may have noticed I made Fox much stronger this time. Why? It's simple._

_Most of the fics I've read that contain a Fox vs Wolf battle usually make Fox a complete wuss and Wolf an overpowered, unable-to-feel-pain badass._

_It's okay to have Wolf winning, but what bothers me is the way most people go on about doing it. It usually happens like this:_

_"Wolf is taller and more muscular than Fox, so all he needed to do was give him a kick and all of Fox's bones were crushed, Wolf wins!"_

_Okay, maybe that's not exactly what it says, but it's exactly what happens._

_Wolf gives Fox a single blow, Fox is knocked out, and then they give an excuse about how Wolf is bigger and stronger than Fox, justifying his victory._

_What's sad about this is that_ _**I wanted to avoid it** _ _when I first wrote the original fic, but ended up following it to a T._

_Yeah... I'm writing too much junk. See you next chapter!_


	5. Defiant Behavior

I had it! For the first time in forever, I had the chance to end his existence... But I didn't!

I remember now, the first time we fought on Fichina. I took him down, his ship crashed in the snow, and I was about to finish the job. But ROB reminded me that the bomb was a few minutes away from blowing up, so I had to rush and landed my Arwing in the base. I had defused it, and once I came back, my teammates had told me Wolf had escaped in one of his wingmen's ship. Star Wolf had retreated once they had seen me going inside, they knew the battle was lost, so they picked Wolf up and ran away. I was furious, I wanted to kill him so bad, but every circumstance around me wouldn't let it happen.

Just a few moments ago, that was the perfect opportunity, I could terminate him once and for all, but I didn't go through it.

Why?!

Why do I always have to be this 'good guy' who goes out of his way to help everyone?! This makes no sense, I should know better than anyone that this will only come back to bite me in the ass later. But then, something distracted me from my inner short-circuit.

I hissed in pain when I felt Slippy applying more of that medicine on my wounds, he then put a big bandage over my chest and starts wrapping it around my torso.

"There, this should do it!"

I hear him say before he finished treating my wounds and pulled a blanket on top of me, warming me up from the cold of Fichina. He then moved on to check on Wolf, walking beside the stretcher we placed him on. Slippy pulled out a portable X-Ray scanner and started examining Wolf's body with it, narrowing his eyes once he reached the torso, and even more once he reached the skull. He finishes scanning him over and puts the scanner aside, he then turns to me and looks a bit shocked.

"What is it, Slippy?"

"Wolf has a fractured skull and a rib-cage, aside from a few _bad_ bruises. What did you do, Fox?!"

"Honestly, I don't remember." I say, shifting in my seat. "All I remember is that he crashed in the snow and I had to beat him up to get him back on my ship."

"Hmm... sounds like you just suffered from hypothermia."

"From what?!"

Slippy then crosses his arms and looks at me slightly annoyed.

"C'mon, Fox. You never heard of hypothermia before?"

"Let me guess... if you stay too long in the cold, you die?"

"Sort of, but that's not it. When your body reaches a temperature low enough, your mind becomes increasingly confused and you start reacting illogically. For example, you may start throwing away your clothes while searching for warmth, stuff like that."

Oh, so _that's_ what happened, I saved Wolf because Fichina was freezing my brains. Got it!

* * *

Meanwhile, in the bridge of the Great Fox, Peppy and Falco were having a meeting with the general.

"And that's what happened, sir. For now, we're stuck floating above Fichina's orbit."

"Well, that's a tragedy. Is there anything I can do to help you in this situation?"

"Yes," Peppy said, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket and using the console to scan it. "Slippy has written a list of supplies he'd need to repair this ship. If you could contact Space Dynamics and order these for us, we'd be grateful."

The general adjusted his cap, pulled out his reading glasses and started glancing at the monitor, one particular item in the list caught his attention.

"What's this? A stealth override system?"

"It's in case anyone ever tries to steal an Arwing again, Slippy says we can remote-control it from the Great Fox."

"Oh, very well then." He removed his glasses and looked back at Peppy. "I'll send this to Space Dynamics and call you back with their answer as soon as possible. For now, I suggest you to keep an eye on Mr. O'Donnell. Pepper out!"

* * *

Back in the med-bay, me and Slippy watched as Peppy and Falco entered the room. Peppy came towards me while Falco laid standing against the wall, Peppy then placed a hand on top of my blanket and asked.

"How are you feeling, Fox?"

"I'm okay, just a little cold. What about the ship?"

"Well..." Peppy said, lowering his head down, this was definitely bad news.

"Space Dynamics says this ship's an unique model." Falco continued from where Peppy had stopped. "They don't have the parts we need to repair it, so we're gonna have to wait until they make them."

"How long?" Slippy asked.

"They don't know. A few weeks, probably. Maybe a few months."

" _Months_?!" I say, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah..." Falco replied, then looked at the one beside me. " _Thanks a lot_ , Slippy!"

" _Hey!_ I said I was sorry!"

"Calm down, Falco." Peppy rushed to Slippy's defense. "I'm sure he's learned his lesson!"

"Oh, you mean just like he's ' _learned his lesson_ ' on Titania?"

" _Enough, Falco!_ " I yell at him, and he becomes silent.

He grumbled something I couldn't hear and looked away with a pinch of frustration. The rest of us then pause and focus our attention on Wolf, still lying unconscious on the stretcher.

"So, Fox. What are we gonna do about him?"

Peppy asked, followed by a response from Falco.

"Can't we just send someone to escort him to Corneria and be done with this?!"

"No way, it's too risky, we can't underestimate him again. For all we know, he can throw a fit big enough to send the Arwing crashing into the asteroids."

"But that means we'll have to keep him alive here while we wait for the parts, right? Isn't that risky too?! Just look what he's done to Slippy!"

"Don't worry, guys." I say to both of them and they all look at me while I grin rather maliciously. "I have a suggestion."

* * *

Wolf began to wake up, he groaned as he tried to open his eye, but then shut it tight and hissed in pain as he felt a painful headache hit him. He tried to move a hand to rub his temples, but there was something holding it. He soon started to move and could feel his hands were cuffed behind his back, he then opened his eye and realized where he was. It was the same room we had locked him in the first time, except he was cuffed to one of the pipes connected to the sink against the wall and someone was laying down in the cot. That someone was me, I heard the sounds of him trying to break free and got up, he then stared at me as I started walking towards his direction and crouched in front of him, keeping him on eye level.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?!"

He snarled at me, he couldn't understand why he was cuffed there, even though it should've been obvious. I ignored his demand and went straight to the point.

"Alright, Wolf. I'm gonna say this as nicely as I can. So, _shut up_ and listen!"

He didn't even make an effort to try and insult me this time, so I continued.

"Thanks to you, we're now stuck in this spaceship until they get us the parts we need to repair it. We don't know how long we need to wait, but it's been estimated to be _months_. Until then, you're stuck here with us. Now, I've thought about just leaving you in this room like before, but then you'd just pull another one of your tricks and try to escape again. So... I cuffed you to the wall. You're not gonna do anything, except eat, drink and sleep, and _that's it!_ Do you understand it or do I need to repeat it for you?"

I finish while shooting him a glare. He starts growling at me and yells at me.

"This is bullshit! How am I supposed to eat or drink if I can't even move my arms?!"

"Don't worry about that, Slippy's gonna come and feed you whenever he can."

"You can't do this to me, McCloud! You can't keep me here and treat me like an irrational animal!"

"Oh, I can't?" I get up and start walking away, and when I'm about to leave the room, I look at him and finish. "We'll see about that!"

I walk out the door and it slid shut, I hear the sound of a click and move away as the door locks itself.

* * *

Ever since I had left Wolf in that room, I hadn't seen him again, nor I wanted to. The day was almost over, we were having our dinner in the dining room. Slippy was entrusted to go feed him, and since he's cuffed to the pipes, there won't be the risk of Slippy getting shot anymore. Not that this made anything better for me, the simple idea that I have to be stuck in the same place as Wolf for a few weeks at the very least was sickening. Oh well, at least I won't be forced to be seeing him again so soon. I then resumed eating my dinner and idle chatting along with Peppy and Falco, Slippy had long since finished his and gone to feed Wolf. Moments later, he returned, plate still in hand and looking at me slightly sad. We all looked at him and he wouldn't say anything, so I asked.

"What's wrong, Slip?"

"It's Wolf." He sighed. "He won't eat, and that's the third time I tried today."

"Don't worry, Slip." Peppy said, wiping his mouth clean. "When that kid feels hungry, he's not gonna say 'no.'"

"Yeah, right." I comment, half-laughing. "Knowing Wolf, he's just gonna kick the plate away every single time."

"And... there's another thing, Fox." Slippy said, bringing my attention to him.

"What is it?"

"He's been asking- No... _demanding_ to see you."

I look around at everyone and they stare at me rather expectantly, I then look back at Slippy with a smug look on my face and say.

"Tell him to keep dreaming."

I resumed eating my dinner, Slippy stood there for a few moments, then yelled.

"Fox, this is serious! How can you just stay there, eating all happy while Wolf is back there starving?!"

"He's put himself in that condition, why should I care?"

" _Because_..." Falco added from across the table. "It was _your_ idea to lock him up in that place, so now _you're_ gonna have to keep him alive."

Fuck... Once again, I paused to look at everyone, and Slippy and Falco were frowning at me, pressuring me to do this. I slammed my silverware into my nearly empty plate and shouted.

" _Fine!_ "

I took the plate from Slippy's hands and started heading towards Wolf's cell, already pissed off for doing so.

* * *

I had approached his cell, entered the code on the keypad, and the door slid open for me. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself for the worst, then started to make my way inside. From afar, I could see him staring at me with disgust, I returned his stare and slowly walked up to him. Once there, I stood above him and asked with a tone of annoyance.

"What do you want?"

"Uncuff me!"

I then fake a hysterical laugh.

"Pfft, hahahahahahaha... no."

" _Damn you, Fox! When I get out of here, I will-_ "

"You'll _what_?!"

I interrupt him, crouching to stare at him in his eye level. He stares back at me angry, he knows there's nothing he could do. Once he does get out of here, he's getting incarcerated in a maximum security unit, and that's it. Moments later, he breaks the stare and looks away.

"Hmph..."

" _Good_ , now let's get back to business."

I hold the plate, take a bite off it with the spoon, and start directing it towards Wolf's muzzle.

"Eat it!"

He doesn't move, just stares back at me with even more anger and grumbles.

"If you think I'm gonna let you humiliate me like that, you're _very_ wrong, Fox!"

"Good to know, cuz' I'm not uncuffing you any time soon. Now _eat it!_ "

I directed the spoon to his muzzle, practically shoving it in his face. His response was to shake his head violently and bump into my hand, knocking the spoon to the ground.

"You want me to eat, you uncuff me. No more, no less!"

"Very well then..." I say while picking the spoon off the ground, then stand up above him. " _Starve!_ "

I turn my back on him and start walking away from the room, I walk past the door and it slid shut behind me. I was about to lock it, but then, I came up with a brilliant idea. I knew I couldn't go back to my teammates and tell them Wolf was not eating, Slippy would whine about how I'm 'mistreating' him and Falco would just be concerned about his precious paycheck. The idea was nearly sadistic, but considering this was _Wolf_ I was dealing with, I could care less. I smiled smugly and walked back to the room, the door slid open and Wolf then stared back at me all confused while I sported that big smile on my face. I started walking towards the cot on the wall and sat there, watching him from a safe distance. I then take a bite off the plate with the spoon and look at him.

"So... you're not gonna eat?"

"Are you gonna uncuff me?!"

" _Pfft_ , no."

"Then I won't."

"Oh well, that's a damn shame."

I sit back and start bringing the spoon up my muzzle, I open up and start chewing very slowly and obnoxiously, all the while looking at him and trying to grin. His face was priceless, and it got angrier each time I took a bite off the plate. I kept on doing this, waiting for him to submit, and it wasn't until the plate was half-empty that Wolf had started snarling at me. His muzzle was drooling, whether that was rage or hunger, I didn't care, I was just concerned on enjoying myself. I looked away from him, focusing all my attention on the plate, then took the next bite and started chewing on it. Then I looked back at him faking surprise, took another bite off the plate and directed the spoon at him, then I said this with my mouth full.

"Oh... I'm sorry, you wanted some?"

" _Fuck you!_ "

"Yeah... I thought so."

I swallowed the previous bite, then brought the spoon to my muzzle and started chewing on the next one. I looked back at Wolf and almost laughed when his stomach started growling, _loudly_. I then took yet another bite and, once again, directed the spoon at him.

"Are you sure you don't want it~?"

"I-... I want it..."

He growled at me, almost inaudible.

"I can't hear you~!"

" _I want it, goddammit!_ "

I then adjusted myself and sat to face towards him.

"Say the magic word." And he started snarling again. Man, this was so much fun. "C'mon, Wolf. It starts with a P~!"

"P-... P-... Please...?"

I couldn't contain myself anymore, I laughed at how pathetic he looked.

"Please what~?"

" _Ggrrr... Please, feed me, you little fuck!_ "

"Okay, I guess that's good enough."

I stood up and started walking towards him, I then sat by his side and directed the spoon at his muzzle, and he took it. As I was feeding him, his stare wouldn't leave my eyes, it was full of malice, contempt, rage, disgust, every negative emotion there is out there. As for me, I kept wearing a satisfied grin on my face, and I'm sure it was enraging him even more, I liked it. By the time it was over and the plate was completely empty, I retracted the spoon, placed on the plate, then started patting Wolf in the head exaggeratedly.

"Good boy!"

He then started snarling at me once again.

"What, you got something to say?"

"Yeah." He started growling at me. "That wasn't enough, I want another round... and a glass of water."

He finished, pointing to the sink with his head. I start laughing and answer.

"That's too bad, you're gonna have to wait 'till tomorrow."

" _What?!_ "

"Hey, it's your fault for not eating, not mine."

" _You only gave me half a plate, you asshole!_ "

He yelled at the top of his lungs, I could also feel a bit of drool flying as he did.

"Well..." I look away, smiling from ear to ear. "If I recall correctly, you said you didn't want it."

" _Ggrr.. I'm gonna make you pay for this, McCloud! I swear!_ "

I chuckled at the empty threat.

"Relax, mutt. I _was_ gonna get you another plate."

Not because I felt particularly bad about him, but simply because I _loved_ torturing his poor soul. I stood up and started walking away, locking the room as I left and heading towards the kitchen.

Who would've known? Looks like I _can_ enjoy being stuck with Wolf for a long time, even if in my own little twisted way.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

Nothing to comment this time.


	6. Deal with the Devil

It's already the third day since I've fought Wolf on Fichina, I had taken over Slippy's job at feeding Wolf. After all, I had to make sure he'd stay in check. Thankfully, he didn't make any more scenes since the first time I went there, which is sad, because tormenting him was the only redeeming quality of having to do this. Rather, he'd just stare at me right in the eyes with that 'I hate you so much' look, and I simply returned it with a similar, matching one. It was like we were having a staring contest, seeing who could hate each other more just by our facial expressions alone. Today wasn't any different, I went there, fed him his lunch, we stared at each other with the urge to murder in our eyes, and done so until the plate was empty.

I put the plate down, then pick up a glass of water and shove it to his muzzle with a hand holding the back of his head to prevent him from choking. He drank it all and let out a sigh of satisfaction, I then put the glass on top of the plate and prepare to walk away. I stand up, turn around and walk a few steps, but Wolf starts calling me from behind.

"Hey!" he shouts.

"What is it?" I turn around and look at him.

"I need to go use the toilet." He said, then shook his head pointing to the toilet room on his side. "Uncuff me!"

I chuckled at his little request.

"What makes you think I care?"

"This isn't a joke, you idiot! I've been on this ship for three days now, and I need to take a dump. _Uncuff me!_ "

"Alright then..." I say while chuckling, then turn my back on him and start walking away, waving my hand. "Dump yourself!"

" _ **YOU LISTEN TO ME ! ! !**_ "

I was caught by surprise when he yelled this, I turned around once again and looked at him rather expectantly.

"You let me go right now, or I'm gonna crap my pants and _you're_ gonna have to clean it and feed me while I stink of wolf shit. Is that what you want, mutt?!"

Well, there's a convincing argument.

"Alright..."

I say sighing, then pick my communicator up and call one of my team members.

"Hey, Slippy. Can you give me a hand over here?"

* * *

The uncuffing part went smoothly, of course, it went that way because while Slippy was doing it, I held a blaster to Wolf's face. He just gave me a glare and walked to the toilet room quietly, he slammed the door shut and locked it, then spent a good while there. Eventually, we heard the sound of a flush, and as the door opened, I once again pointed the blaster at him and watched as he moved back to his position. He sat there, moved his arms to his back and allowed Slippy to cuff him once again.

"Thanks."

He grumbled as stoically as possible. Me and Slippy then left the room and locked the door behind us, then proceeded to walk together towards our destinations. The following days went on in a similar fashion, I'd go there to feed him, occasionally allow him to take a break and go to the toilet, then leave him there in his own little world. As the time passed, the intensity we shared in our 'staring contests' began to die down and we just started seeing each other more as two people who were just there by obligation, sort of like two factory workers who done the same thing every day and didn't question it. We remained quiet during my visits, except we didn't even snarl or growl or made any gesture or sound that displayed our hatred for each other anymore.

This had been going on for about a week, and by this point, I stopped caring about the fact I had to feed Wolf. Actually, I thought nothing of it, I was just doing my obligation and spent the time thinking about other stuff. Without even realizing, I had just finished feeding Wolf another breakfast, I made him drink his glass of water, then started setting everything up to leave, it was then that he called me, breaking our week-long routine of silence.

"Uncuff me."

He muttered, his voice was still gruff, but didn't seem to contain any malice.

"Under no circumstances."

"Uncuff me."

"I will _not_ , so stop asking!"

" _Uncuff me!_ " He yelled this time.

"No!" I yelled back. "What the hell is your problem, can't you hear me or something?!"

"You wanna know what my problem is?!" He yelled once more, yanking the cuffs behind him and trying to lean closer. "My head hurts, my back hurts, I can't sleep, have to be fed by you, can't even go to the toilet without degrading myself, and to top it off, I have to spend every hour of my day sitting here doing absolutely nothing!"

"Well, karma's a bitch, isn't it?! You wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't tried to hold Slippy at gunpoint!"

"What if I say I learned my lesson and will be a good boy from now on, will you uncuff me?"

"No."

" _Why not?!_ "

"Because you're not trustworthy, Wolf." I say, standing up and turning around. "It's as simple as that!"

I tell him as I leave, I was just a few steps away from the door when I heard him shout.

"Oh, and you think you are?!"

That question made me stop on my tracks, I turned around once more to look at him with an indignation expression.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

He didn't answer immediately, just looked at me angry.

"Hmph... nothing. Just get outta' here!"

"No way, now you've got me curious." I say while walking back to his direction and crouching in front of him. "What makes you think I'm not trustworthy?!"

And once again, he didn't answer, just kept staring at me. Then, he opened his muzzle.

"Tell me, what happened to you and your team after the war was over?"

"What do you think happened? Me and my team are war heroes now, and even got a big paycheck to prove it."

I finish, smiling smugly at him. He starts grinning slightly and responds.

"Oh. So, you're telling me you've _lied_ to the whole system, didn't you?"

My smile began to fade away and my expression turned to confusion.

"What?!"

"You know what I'm talking about. You didn't really kill Andross, did you?"

I couldn't answer after that, I was in a state of complete shock. How could he know that?! And in contrast to my shocked expression, his grin had started to become wider and wider. He got tired of waiting for a response and just continued.

"Just as I thought, you didn't! What gives you the right to tell me I'm not trustworthy when you and your whole team are nothing, but a living lie, Fox?!"

"You... you know something?! _Tell me!_ "

"Oh, I'd be glad to tell you _everything_... under one little condition."

He said, yanking the cuffs once more and making a loud noise from it. I knew where he was getting at, but I couldn't trust him just like that. What if he's just playing with my mind? Making me think I didn't kill Andross just so I could let him go? And what if what he says is true? That means Andross will come back eventually, and the whole system will be at risk once again. But what am I supposed to do about it? Go there and tell everyone I didn't even know if I had really killed Andross, but said I did, anyway, and now found out he's alive?! My reputation would be destroyed, and my father's legacy would end right there and then. So many variables involved and so many possible outcomes, it was driving me crazy.

"So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"I... I'll think about it."

That was all I could say before standing up and walking away, I really wanted to get out of that room. I don't know how he does it, but he has an ability to send chills down my spine just by talking. Before I got to the door, though, I turned around once more and threw a last glare at him.

"But just for the record, you're _still_ not trustworthy."

I said before finally heading out, I let the door slid shut and locked it behind me. I froze in place, and all I could think about after that was what the hell was I supposed to do now.

* * *

I've spent hours thinking about the possibilities of trusting Wolf, and every single time I considered doing it, some distant memory would always resurface to remind me of how much it seemed like a horrible idea. I've been pacing back and forth so much that my head was spinning and my feet were tired, I really needed someone to give me a second opinion on this, but who? The general? Oh, sure. Just go and tell one of the biggest powers of Corneria I lied about something and ran away with the money, that'll end up so well for me. Falco? Letting Wolf go would not only enrage him, but so would the fact we are abandoning one mission for another at the cost of a possible paycheck, so I assume he'd turn it down in a split-second and warn everyone else about it. This left me with only two choices, Peppy and Slippy.

One thing that has made me concerned about Peppy is how he was oddly quiet about the way I've been handling Wolf since the start of this mission. While Slippy and Falco both protested my brutal ways of dealing with him for their own personal reasons, Peppy seemed mostly okay with it. This makes me wonder, is he also bitter about the things Wolf has done to me and my father? It wouldn't surprise me that much. After all, he was there to witness it all happen first-hand, so he must be pretty shaken about it. I don't know why, but I have a hunch Peppy won't be too happy about the prospect of me and Wolf having anything to do with each other. Taking that into account, this only leaves me with one choice, Slippy.

Slippy is my best friend, I've known him ever since I was a little kit, and we were nearly inseparable since then. I'm sure he'll understand my point of view if I tell him what I saw back on Venom, but what worries me is that he seems quite oblivious about Wolf as a person and would be more than willing to let him do as he pleases, that might create a whole new bunch of problems I'd rather not deal with. But who knows? Maybe this can be a good thing, after all. Since I'm completely convinced that trusting Wolf would be a terrible move, hearing a bit of what the other side has to say might help me clear some of my thoughts, even if just a little. After a short while thinking about it, I find myself marching to Slippy's quarters and knock on the door. He opens it and greets me with a smile.

"Hey, Fox. You need something?"

"You could say so. " I say while scratching the back of my head. "Can I come inside, Slippy? We need to talk about something."

"Sure, make yourself at home."

He said, opening the door further for me. I walked inside and he closed it shortly after.

"So, what did you want to talk about, anyway?"

"Okay, first of..." I say, placing both of my hands on his shoulders. "I need you to promise me you won't be telling anyone about this, alright?"

"Uh... sure. You can count on me!"

* * *

We had spent some time sitting at the end of his bed, I was retelling everything I had experienced back on Venom to him. How Andross was a giant dismembered head, how the ghost of my father helped me escape the base, and specially how Wolf apparently knew that whatever I was fighting down there, that wasn't really Andross and that he was probably still alive.

"...and now, if I don't release him, Andross might start a new war in a few years. What do you think we should do, Slippy?"

"Hold on a minute, Fox. Something doesn't feel right here. If he knew Andross was alive all along, why didn't he call _him_ for help, instead?"

"Yeah, I thought about that too. All of this could just be a lie, he might just be trying to deceive us into walking straight into a criminal hideout or something."

"Maybe not... From what I've seen of Wolf, he doesn't seem like he's one to lie."

"Huh?! How can you say that?!"

"Well... remember when he forced me to help him escape just a few days ago?"

I nodded in response.

"When he pointed that gun to my head, he said he wouldn't hurt me if I did everything he told me to. He still could've killed me when he was about to go away, but he didn't. He kept his word, that has to be worth something, don't you think?"

I chuckled. "Slippy... you're mistaking cruel mercy for honesty. The reason he didn't kill you was because he knew you couldn't stop him, so he saw no point on doing it."

"I know, but still... If he was this cruel, merciless murderer you make him out to be, he would've killed me nonetheless, right? Just for the sake of it."

As much as I wanted to deny it, Slippy had a point. Wolf could be a lot of things, but not once did he seem like a liar to me, he's always had this air of superiority that made lying seem pointless to him. As for why he didn't kill Slippy, at that moment, my mind flashed back to the time I had decided to save him on Fichina. I started to think that maybe, just maybe, Wolf might still have a little conscience left on him.

"So, you suggest we believe him?"

"I see no reason not to. Worst can happen is, we'll have to take him down again. But that's not a problem for you, is it, Fox?"

* * *

After much consideration, I had decided to return to Wolf's cell. I still haven't decided what I'm going to do about this, but if there's someone who can answer some of my questions, that's Wolf. Running away from him won't solve anything, so I'm forced to let my anger subside and stop clouding my judgement, for there are more important things to take care of right now. I approach his room, enter the code on the keypad, and find myself walking inside to meet him. He lifts his head up to look at me and start grinning, as if he had convinced himself that I'd let him go just like that. I start walking towards him and crouch to be on his eye level, then he asks me.

"So, I guess you came back to beg me for help, huh?"

"One reason." I say, lifting my finger up. "Give me _one reason_ why should I trust you."

His grin faded away, and he soon started to look away as well, apparently thinking about how to convince me.

"Alright." He says, sighing. "Look, this may come off as a surprise to you, but I also want to get rid of Andross."

"Is that it?" I chuckled. "You want _me_ to believe you turned against your boss just like that?!"

"Weren't you asking me about why did I call Corneria, of all things?"

I couldn't answer that, so I just waited until he'd continue.

"There's your answer, it's because Andross wants me dead."

"And why would he want you dead? Last time we've fought on Venom, you two didn't seem to have a problem."

"Let's just say the guy doesn't take failure all that lightly, you either complete your job or you die trying, there's no third option with him."

"That can't be true, because you've failed Fichina and he rewarded you by giving you new ships!"

"That was more out of desperation than anything. By the time we had returned to his base, word was already out that your team was decimating his fleet. Andrew managed to talk him down a bit, so he just gave us the best ships he had and told us to go there and not fail. Right now, I can't risk going back to him."

"That _still_ doesn't explain why you didn't call someone else."

He chuckled. "Running away from Andross isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. He has the best group of hit men money could buy, and not only that, but he also has most of the people I've worked with in the past in a contacts list somewhere. Tell me, how many of them do you think would betray me for a quick buck?"

Another point I had to agree with. If Andross could get someone with Pigma's rank and position to betray Star Fox for him, surely, getting the scum of Lylat to turn their backs on Wolf wouldn't be too troublesome.

"Alright, let's say I believe you. Just _one_ question: if Andross is so bad as you make him out to be, why did you work for him in the first place?"

"That's easy. By the time I signed the papers, I knew I was gonna win, so I didn't give a shit about anything else. I'd get the money, the glory, the fame, but best of all, I'd get rid of _you_. So, what better opportunity to show the whole system who's boss than besting Corneria's top pets?"

Still can't accept you've lost, huh? I guess some things will never change.

"Sounds a lot like you..." I mutter while turning my head away.

"Yeah, whatever. I gave you your stupid reason, so now what? Do we have a deal or not?"

I look away from him and start scratching my chin, not long after, I give him my answer.

"Alright, but let's just make a few things clear here."

I say, standing up and pacing around the room.

"One. You're not leaving this place until we confirm what you say is true and dispose of Andross."

"What?!"

" _Two!_ " I shout, interrupting whatever he was about to say. "No one else in the team is supposed to know we're doing this until I say so, got it?"

Wolf just rolled his eyes in response.

"And three. After all is said and done, nobody is supposed to know about this screw-up and that we've let you escape. Is that clear?"

He stared at me for a while, then replied.

"Sure, but just so you know, I have my own little set of rules as well."

"Like...?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"First, and most importantly, _uncuff me!... NOW!_ "

He yelled, yanking the cuffs once more. I walked up to his side, crouched, and carefully removed the cuffs from his hands while paying close attention to his movements and not letting my guard down for a second. While he still sat there, I stood back up and tossed the cuffs to the side.

"There, happy now?!"

I snarked while placing my hands on my hips, he then stood up and started to stretch his arms and back, then rubbing his wrists. He looked back at me and continued.

"Secondly, I want 60% of the earnings you've received from the war."

My eyes widened up in shock.

"You want _what_?!"

"What? You didn't expect me to go away and keep your little lie up in the air for nothing, did you?"

I started growling at him, but calmed myself down and muttered out angrily. " _Fine!_ "

Just then, he started grinning once more and told me the last condition.

"And finally, I want to stay in a _real_ room, one with a soft bed, a shower, and something for me to spend my time with."

"Excuse me?!" I said while looking completely dumbfounded. "You want... a new room?"

"Hey, it's your fault for making me sleep against a pipe and destroying my back. There's no way I'm sleeping on this pathetic excuse of a bed you've got me, I want a _real_ one!"

He finished, pointing to the cot attached to the wall.

"On top of that, if I'm going to spend the rest of the month locked up here while staring at the walls and doing _nothing_ , then I better have something to make my time worth it. It can be anything, from a few books, to TV or a computer, I don't really care, as long as I have _something_ to do."

"Okay then." I said, slowly stretching my hand out for him as we made a verbal contract, he started to grin a bit more and took it.

"Nice doing business with you." He said in a mocking tone.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I replied sternly, before turning my back and starting to walk away. "I'm off to prepare your new room, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Hey, don't forget to bring me my lunch, I'm starving!"

It's been ten seconds since we've made this deal and I don't like it already.

Sigh, the things I do for Lylat...

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_No comments... again._


	7. Grudging Cooperation

Wolf and I made our way inside what was then supposed to be my room.

"Here we are, this is gonna be your place for now."

I tell him, he takes a few steps forward and starts examining the place. My room wasn't much, it consisted of a large bed with a view of space behind it; A nightstand to its left with a clock set to Corneria's timezone; A coat rack to its right where I usually place my flight jacket; A door on the left wall that led to the bathroom; On the right side of the room, there was a computer table where my laptop would usually be; A dresser with four drawers; A TV table with a 23 inch screen on top of it and a video game console placed in one of the bottom rows; And finally, a garbage bin and a basket of dirty laundry on the ground.

He started examining everything he could, taking in every detail there was to take... a bit too much for my tastes.

"I've already taken away all blasters, comms and other stuff you could use to escape, so don't even bother."

I told him, he then looked at me with a hint of annoyance on his face, as if he felt wrongly accused of a crime he didn't commit. I don't know whether he was planning on it or not, but it just felt right to inform him beforehand. He looked away from me and sat in the right end of the bed, he then reached for the TV table and grabbed one of my console joysticks and chuckled.

"Honestly, video games? _Honestly_?!" He said, then looked at me. "How much of a _pup_ can you be?"

"Hey, this 'pup' kicked your ass three times in a row, so shut the hell up!"

"Meh." He rolled his eyes. "That was sheer luck!"

"Whatever you say."

He placed the joystick back where it was and started adjusting himself in the bed, checking if it was soft enough, I assumed. He then laid on his back, moving his arms to the back of his head in a lazy motion and stared at the ceiling. He then looked around for the remote, grabbed it and turned the TV on some news broadcast. He stayed like that for some time, and after a minute or so of him focusing all his attention on the screen, I felt like asking.

"Is it gonna do for you or do you want something else?"

"This is fine, I guess."

He paused for a moment before glancing at me and asking something else.

"Does your shower have heating?"

"They all have."

"Good."

He turned the TV off, started to stand up, and right there and then, started undressing in front of me, starting by shoving his coat on my face.

" _Gah, what the fuck?!_ " I yell at him as I yank the coat off.

"I'm gonna take a bath, can't stay in the bed while stinking like this." He said, now throwing his black shirt away at me. "And since I only have one set of clothes in this ship, _you're_ gonna have to clean 'em up!"

He followed that by kicking off his grey shoes and starting to unbutton his pants, I instantly turn around to avoid that nasty view from infecting my brain. Shortly after, I hear the bathroom door creaking open and soon being locked shut. I turned around and look at the ground to notice the pair of dark jeans and black boxers, I cringe upon touching it and pick it up to place it on top of the pile of dirty clothes, turning my muzzle away from it in disgust while I walk towards the laundry room. After I had gone and cleaned those up, I returned to my room, standing in front of the door and looking around to make sure nobody was watching. I knock on the door and call for Wolf to open up, and five seconds later, the door opens to reveal him standing in front of me, deprived of any sort of clothing with only a towel wrapped up in his waist. I look away from embarrassment and practically shove the pile of now clean clothes into his hands.

"Get yourself decent!"

I ordered. A second later, I hear the door slamming shut and sigh in relief. After I took my time to erase that horrible picture from my mind, I stood there, waiting for him to dress up and open the door again. After a while, he did, and I walked my way in. With the door locked shut and only the two of us inside, we finally had time to address the more important matters. I laid against the wall and crossed my arms while he sat at the end of the bed and looked at me expectantly.

"Okay, I gave you what you wanted, now you give me what I need."

"Sure, hit me."

"Let's start with something simple. How did you know Andross survived the raid?"

"I didn't, I assumed." He flashed me a grin before replying. "Our mission wasn't exactly to destroy you, we were ordered to keep fighting until we could either kill you or slow you down enoug, so Andross could move out of there and finish the preparations."

"What do you mean by 'preparations'?"

"We weren't told what it was, only that he was planning to use your team as test subjects for a weapon he's been developing throughout the years. The damn thing was incomplete, roughly 27% of development, or so I heard..."

* * *

"A secret weapon, you say?"

Said Slippy while we both laid against the wall in the corridor.

"Yeah, that's what he told me. Might explain a few things, but something still doesn't click here..."

"I know. Why would Andross make a bio-weapon version of himself if it's powerful enough to just turn against him?"

"That's a good question, Slippy. But I was thinking of something else."

"What?"

"My father... You know, when I saw him, he didn't seem to be a fake robot made just to fool me. The way he looked, the way he talked to me... Everything about him was just like I remember."

I couldn't notice it as I spoke, but Slippy started to look concerned about me.

"When he showed up that day, when everything was going to hell, I don't know how he did it, but... He seemed to know the way out, he was guiding me through the safest path and made sure I'd get out of there alive."

"Fox..."

"If I wasn't going crazy as I thought I was, maybe there's a chance my father's alive. I don't know, maybe what I saw wasn't really a ghost, but he was actually there and-"

" _Fox!_ "

Slippy yelled as he grabbed my shoulders and shook me, and I stared at him with a shocked expression. He tried to snap me out of it, but I continued, anyway.

"What I'm trying to say is, if everything was just a weapon like Wolf said it was, then why would Andross show me something that would help me escape?! It just doesn't make sense."

"Fox, I'm sorry to say it, but your father is dead. There's no way he could've survived after being imprisoned for two years with Andross." My expression began to sadden up a bit. "Look, there might be a logical explanation for all of this. I don't know, maybe, when you destroyed that bio-weapon, it released some kind of toxin that got into your Arwing, it altered your brain and made you hallucinate or something. Whatever it was, what you've seen wasn't really there!"

"But there _is_ a chance, right?" I said with a panicked expression, my voice quavering. "...right?!"

He then spent a good while looking at me with pity, he didn't want to say it at first, but did eventually.

"Fox, when we were coming out to help you that day, our radars didn't pick up any kind of anomaly, it was just you. Whatever you've seen down there, it didn't exist!"

My face began to melt into something unrecognizable, it didn't look sad, but Slippy could see my spirit was just crushed by the reality of his words.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay... You're right, Slippy. If my father was alive, he'd be here with me. I shouldn't be filling myself with fake hope with so many assumptions."

There was a moment of silence between the both of us, Slippy looked away from me while I held my face down and looked at the metal floor.

"Fox... You want to go and... I don't know, drink something with me?"

After a short pause, I nodded without taking my eyes away from where they stood. I could hear Slippy slowly turning around and walking towards the recreation room, after a short while, I followed him.

* * *

Back in my room, Wolf was scrambling around the contents of my dresser. First drawer, he found nothing, but a messy pile of shirts and undershirts. Second drawer, all of it consisted of pants, underpants and socks. Third drawer, shoe, boots and a few accessories. Fourth drawer, a number of mundane tools. He then slammed the drawer closed against the dresser, generating a loud *clunk* noise in the process.

" _Nothing! There's nothing useful on this goddamn thing!_ "

He yelled angrily, then sighed and plopped himself back to the bed on his back with his arms stretched wide out. After spending some time clearing his thoughts, he inspected the room one more time and took notice of the small drawer on the nightstand, a place he didn't bother to check before. Hopeless that he'd find anything of use to him, he opened the drawer and could only find a few pictures of mine hidden inside.

" _How great_ , more worthless garbage."

Moved by sole curiosity, he picked the pictures up and started inspecting them one by one. The first one consisted of my child self taking a piggyback ride with my parents, another one was shot on a birthday party, and yet another one was shot in the day I was admitted to the flight academy. Some of these pictures formed a pattern, containing a few familiar figures, Slippy and his father, Beltino; Peppy, the general, my father, and... another someone, a man. There was no way to make out who he was, his figure was completely scribbled over with a black marker. If one were to inspect closer, they could catch a few glimpses of pink skin color and realize he was wearing the Star Fox uniform.

Suddenly, Wolf heard a knock on the door and carelessly plopped the pictures back in the drawer, then closed it in a rush. He sat up, walked towards the door, unlocked it and opened up to reveal me holding a plate in my hands.

"Dinner."

I said nonchalantly, then handed it over to him. He grabbed the plate, and as soon as I began to turn around to leave, something in the back of my room caught my attention. The nightstand drawer, there was a picture hanging loose from its line breaches. I put two and two together, and glare at him. He was about to close the door shut, but I slam my hand on it and stop it before he could.

"You were messing with my stuff, weren't you?!"

"What the-" He said with a tone of anger, trying to sound like he was being wrongly accused. "Just what the hell are you talking about?!"

" _Don't play dumb with me!_ " I yelled, shoving the door open. I began to walk in his direction while he was backing off until he tripped and fell on his tail on the bed. "I _know_ you've been messing around my room, don't even try to deny it!"

"Yeah? What if I was?" He said, setting the plate on top of the bed and supporting himself against the end of it with his arms. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"You may be staying here, O'Donnell, but this is still _my_ room, and if I find just another thing out of its place, you're gone!"

"Really now?" He chuckled and started grinning at me. "Go ahead and try it. You try handing me over, McCloud, and I'll expose you for the liar you are!"

I frowned at him, there was a pause in which I did nothing, but then, I took a step forward and punched the mutt right in the face. He fell on the bed, rubbing his snout and checking for blood.

"Do I look like I give a shit about who you open your trap for?! _Nobody likes you, Wolf!_ Not Venom, not Corneria, _no one_. You really think that after all the shit you've pulled, they would even believe you like nothing ever happened?!" He then started snarling at me. Good, must've struck a nerve on him. "You should feel lucky I'm giving you the chance of running away like the coward you are. Here's a newsflash for you: _You're disposable!_ So if you know what's good for you, just sit there, be a good dog, and I promise I'll let you go sooner."

I turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. As I did, I could hear him rushing to the door and locking it, it should've felt good that we were keeping our distance, but it still annoyed me. Seriously, at this point, I could just end this stupid deal and track down Andross myself. Then again, we're still stuck in here for over a month.

I just have to take all of this one day at a time...

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Sorry about the lack of updates, been stressing about a lot of things lately._

_University, the elections, my job. It's horrible..._

_This chapter wasn't as much as I wanted it to be, but I still wanted to update this thing, so there ya go._


	8. Breaking the Ice

"Spill it out already, Wolf!" I was yelling at him. "We had a deal, you asshole!"

"Yeah! And the deal was: You let me go, and I tell you everything I know. Guess what? That _is_ everything!"

" _Bullshit!_ " I scream at the top of my lungs, that couldn't be everything. I mean, Wolf worked for them, he _had_ to know a lot more than he was letting on.

"I had _one_ job, and that was: Get rid of you. I don't know anything other than that!"

He then resumed to ignore me and eat without a care in the world.

"If you want answers, go find Andross yourself."

He said with his mouth full while glaring at me.

* * *

I had returned to the dining room, where everyone was eating their lunch. If the door had a knob, I would've shoved it open and let it bang loudly against the wall in anger. Peppy seemed to notice I was quite frustrated while I was serving myself some lunch, dragging the seat back quite roughly and eating at a faster pace than usual with a grumpy expression on my face.

"Hey, Fox. Did something happen to you?" He asked.

"It's nothing, just Wolf pissing the hell out of me."

"Pissing you off?! What do you mean by that?! He's cuffed."

My anger quickly turned into nervousness. Damn it! I almost let it slip.

"Well, I..." I faked a chuckle, not knowing what to say. "I just don't like doing this, you know? Going there to feed him and everything."

I think Slippy caught on my nervousness, as he was watching us intently from the corner seat while eating his meal. Peppy then looked at me with a hint of concern and offered.

"Well, if it's getting on your nerves like that, I should do it for you, then."

" _NO!_ " I yelled louder than I needed to. "I-I mean, no... I've got it under control, really!"

He then looked at me shocked as if he was really confused by my mood swings.

"Fox, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine! Completely!"

I said, forcing the dumbest smile I could come up with.

" _Anyway, guys..._ " Slippy shouted, standing up from his seat. "I just got a response from Space Dynamics."

"What about?" Peppy asked.

"They said they've got the parts I need to repair this ship, they're on their way to delivery right now."

" _Finally!_ " Falco shouted. "I was about to cross that damn asteroid field to get on the ground again."

"I thought you preferred the air, Falco." Slippy joked.

"Ha ha, very funny." He replied, standing up from his seat and taking the plate with him as he exited the room.

"So, how much time will it take for you to install everything, Slippy?" Peppy asked.

"Probably a day or two, if everything goes smoothly."

"That's incredible! Good job, Slip."

Now it was Peppy's time to stand up and leave, it was quite a relief to see the previous subject abandoned. However...

"And Fox..." He said from behind, I looked back at him in curiosity-masked horror. "Don't let Wolf get to you."

That was all he said before he left, it made me wonder if he suspected anything. As soon as he was out of the room, I bowed my head down and covered my face in my hands.

" _I'm such a bad liar..._ "

"Don't worry, Fox. Just a few more days and it's all over."

"Things are going bad, Slippy. It's been four days already and Wolf hasn't told me a goddamn thing."

"Really?! Well... Does that mean you two are backing off on the deal?"

"No, Slippy. It just means I have to play _tougher_ to get what I want."

"Huh?! What are you gonna do?!"

"I don't know yet, but one thing is right, I _will_ get him to speak."

* * *

Hours had flown since our last argument. It's been quite some time since we've made this deal and Wolf has been growing increasingly uncooperative. He told me a few things I didn't know, for example, how Andross had terraformed over 80 different regions of Venom and used them to house his army, and that the HQ base we attacked on Venom was just _one_ out of three he had, two of which Wolf claims he knows nothing about. Still, I didn't get to know the one thing I was after: Where is Andross? As much as I didn't want to admit it, I needed Wolf. I have no idea on how to track Andross down all by myself, nor can I trust the Cornerian intel to perform an investigation without raising some kind of suspicion. Time was running out and so were my options, so desperate times called for desperate measures.

I walked towards Wolf room with my arms crossed behind my back, I got to the door, knocked on it, and waited outside until he opened it. A short while later, he did, and to his surprise, my hands were empty.

"What? No dinner?" He asked.

"I've come to an ultimatum." I said with a neutral tone. "You're gonna tell me where can I find Andross right now, or deal's over and no more dinner for you."

He chuckled. "I told you before, I don't know. Besides, we both know you're not gonna do that. After all, you have to bring me back alive or something."

"Do I?" I snickered. "Well, I have some bad news for you, then. This ship is getting fixed tomorrow, you know what that means?"

Suddenly, Wolf's eyes widened in shock and he remained silent.

"Exactly, you have at least two days to tell me what I want before they get you. So... What's it gonna be?"

He paused for a moment, staring at me in pure horror before lashing out against me.

" _I told you already, McCloud. I don't know anything!_ "

"Remember, Wolf: Two days. You can either tell me already or play dumb and starve 'til then."

He then started to growl and stare at me with a rageful, almost psychotic expression.

"What if I just kill you right now and get the fuck out of here myself, how about that?!"

I noticed his hands were starting to twitch, they were making a strangle motion and subtly moving towards my neck.

"You're not getting out of this ship again, _that_ I assure you."

Some time passed, and he remained quiet. His hands were still twitching, and his arms were about to snap at my throat.

" _Can you stop being an asshole for two seconds and listen?!_ "

I yelled at him, and he stopped all of his movements at once. Making an angry frown, he retracted his arms and stared at me. I sigh in relief and continue.

"Alright, I know we're not really fond of each other, but we're both after the same thing. Andross is still out there, and he's bad news for both me and you. I'm willing to keep my end of the bargain if you just tell me where the hell can I find him, so I can get rid of him. That's it! After that, you can just go away and I'll give you the goddamn money I promised, everybody wins!... _Or,_ you can just keep your stomach rumbling and wait until the army shoves you into the worst max-security shithole they can find. You choose!"

After that, he kept staring at me right in the eyes, trying to decipher whether I was telling the truth or not.

I hear him sigh in defeat, and he tells me with a soft voice tone once he calms down.

"Fine... I'll tell you everything tomorrow."

I sport a weak smile and nod. Keeping my voice to the level of his, I finally tell him.

"I'll go get your dinner."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the Great Fox. Peppy walked down the long hallways, something in his mind has been bothering him deeply since we had our little talk in the dining room. He reached his destination, and praying all his fears were a mere product of his imagination, he entered the code on the keypad. The door made a click, and he walked close to it and waited until it slid open. Walking inside, his suspicions had grown worse as he noticed there was nobody in the room. He ran to the corner of the same room, where the door to the toilet room was. He twisted the knob and shoved it open, only to realize that, again, no one was inside.

"No..."

He muttered to himself as reality crashed upon him, what he feared the most, what he prayed wouldn't happen had just taken place behind his back. He started backing off, walking out of the room. His pace started to get faster, eventually, it turned into a jog, and then into a full sprint. He ran frantically towards the bridge, and when reached it, he didn't hesitate for a moment. Approaching the console, he started to input a series of commands until the monitor screen in front of him revealed a video from an unknown period of time ago. The video in question was actually security footage from Wolf's cell. Inputting a few more commands into the console, the video fast-forwarded until there was a moment where he could see Fox escorting the lupine out of that room into the hallways of the ship.

" _No!... It's happening all over again!_ "

* * *

Shifting around in my sleeping bag, I groaned and started to get my eyes open. Morning came way too fast to my liking, I turned my head and took a look at the time from my laptop... 8:15 AM, I guess I overslept a bit. Getting up from the sleeping bag, I stretched my limbs one by one and rubbed my eyes from their dust, then I looked around and noticed Slippy had already left. For the whole time Wolf was staying in my room, Slippy agreed to let me stay on his to avoid suspicion between the rest of the team.

Today was the day, Wolf was finally going to tell me where Andross is, so I can put him to rest. I didn't know what to expect next, if what he'd tell me was true or if he'd even tell me at all. Maybe Wolf told me he'd tell me today just so he wouldn't have to starve at night. If that is the case, I swear I'm gonna shoot his sorry tail out of existence once I step inside that room.

Clearing my mind for a bit, I picked up my flight jacket from the rack, put on my boots, and walked towards the dining room to have my breakfast. When I got there, I noticed everyone was already gone. Well, everyone except Peppy, for some reason, who stared at me with his head down and arms crossed on top of the table. He looked somewhat... I don't know, sad? Disappointed? Whatever it was, his expression seemed way too serious for me. I didn't know what to do, so I just kept trying to pretend nothing was wrong, I picked up some breakfast, took a seat and looked at him, then asked.

"Hey, Pep. Something bothering you?"

He just sighed and didn't answer, so I asked something else.

"Where's everyone?"

"Slippy's fixing everything up, Falco's helping him out."

He replied in a soft, nonchalant tone.

"Oh... And why aren't you there with them?"

"Because I had something to talk about with you, something very serious."

After he said that, I gulped down some of my breath and began to sweat as he continued.

"Yesterday, I went to Wolf's cell to check on him. Only, when I got there, I couldn't find him."

My eyes opened a bit in alarm, and my voice began to shatter.

"S-so... y-you mean... i-if Wolf has escaped... _W-why didn't you sound the alarms, then?!_ "

He looked away from me and waved his hand dismissively.

"There was no need to, he's still hiding here in this ship." He paused and stared back straight into my eyes. "He's in your room, isn't he?"

In that moment, I had become petrified. I could only wonder what was going to happen now that he knew.

"Fox... why are you doing this? Why are you helping this... this... _monster!?_ "

"You don't understand, Peppy. It's not him, it's Andross. He's still alive!"

" _What?! You told me you've killed him!_ " He shouted.

I lowered my head down in shame and shook it, not daring to look at him.

"Sorry... I should've told you all from the start. The Andross I've killed on Venom was a fake, the real one is still out there."

He looked at me with a horrified look in his eyes.

"This is bad... We should tell the general about this-"

" _No!_ " I yell all of a sudden, interrupting him. He began stare at me confused and upset. "That's why I'm helping Wolf, Peppy. So I can find Andross and destroy him... I made a mistake, and he's helping me fix it."

"Helping you _fix it_?! _Helping you fix what, your grave_?! That guy can't be trusted, Fox. Don't you remember what he did to your father? _Don't you remember what he tried to do to you?!_ "

I paused for a minute, before replying. I finally had the courage to look back at Peppy.

"I do... But Andross is still out there, and he's far more important than Wolf will ever be. If I have to sell my soul to the devil to watch him fall, _then so be it!_ "

Peppy was speechless, he almost looked hurt. He shook his head in disapproval, then said.

"I'm not gonna let you do this, Fox... Even if I have to die, _I'll do everything in my power to stop it!_ "

"Peppy, just listen to me-"

" _No! I'm doing this for your own sake!_ "

He stood up from his chair and leaned closer to me, muttering a threat in my face.

"I've already called a few members from the Katina base to escort him back to Corneria. Just a little longer, and this living garbage will get exactly what's coming to him!"

I couldn't say a word after that, I could just sit there and watch anxiously as he walked out of the room and left me there to dwell in my own little world. I've never seen Peppy so mad like this before. Did he really mean what he said there?! Because if he did, I wouldn't be able to finish my deal with Wolf and let him get away, the military would undoubtedly raise questions at me, and I'm sure Peppy would be more than happy to answer them. But... he wouldn't really do this to me... Would he?! The part where he said he'd do everything to stop me replayed over and over again in my mind, I felt like I was starting to lose it.

...

I don't have time to worry about this, I should just get to Wolf and make him tell me where can I find Andross as fast as I can.

What happens to him afterwards is none of my business, but...

Am I really doing the right thing if I do this?

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_I'm not quite sure, but I feel like this chapter came out a little bit rushed... Oh well, it's nothing terrible either._

_On another note, I finally managed to play Command a few days ago. And although I didn't really enjoy the story or the characters, I got an idea for a new fic._

_Though I'm unsure if I should just post it now or wait until I finish this one to do so._

_Maybe I'll wait, I don't really like reading multiple stories, it makes me confused about the way the characters are portrayed._


	9. Soliloquy

I paced around nervously in front of the door with a laptop in my arm, waiting impatiently for it to open. Every second I spent there felt like a whole hour, and every now and then I found myself turning around, afraid somebody would come and hit me from behind. Not long after, I got tired of it and tried to calm down by laying against the wall; I closed my eyes and let out a brief sigh, but even that small moment of relief was taken away when a quick look to the side made me jump back. I saw Peppy, glaring at me and speaking in a pretty intimidating voice tone.

"The general is waiting for you!"

" _He's waiting for what?!_ "

I yell in a panic frenzy. Right after, Peppy grabbed my arms and restrained them to my back, making me drop my laptop in the process. He started dragging me away from the corridor my room was located and brought me straight into the bridge; Even though I was in much better shape in the strength department, no matter how much I tried, any attempts to break off Peppy's grasp were useless. Fear kicked in fast and I started screaming for help.

" _Peppy, stop!... STOP!_ "

The bridge doors slid open before us, and Peppy had finally let me go by shoving me inside roughly; The force he used was so strong that I fell on my face to the ground. When I supported my arms against the cold floor and tried to get up, I took a moment to analyze my surroundings; I could see Falco, Bill and a few other soliders from both Corneria and Katina glaring at me in disgust.

"Why did you do this, Fox?!" Asked Falco.

"And to think you were a brother to me, _you're a traitor!_ " Bill added.

One of the soldiers started pushing me towards the center of the room, where I could see a figure of a sand-colored hound in a red outfit and a cap standing with his back turned against my direction. Once I was a few feet away from him, Pepper- No... _The general of the Cornerian army_... he turned around to reveal a nasty, displeased frown forming on his face. The contrast of his expression with the one I was used to was like seeing a harmless butterfly turn itself into a fire-breathing dragon ready to burn me alive.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers kicked me in the legs, forcing me to kneel down before him. The general had removed his trademark lollipop from his lips, and said as boldly as he could.

"Fox McCloud... You have deceived the forces of Corneria and has put not only our planet's safety, but the entirety of the Lylat system as a whole, in jeopardy. You have disgraced your father's honor, and for that reason, I hereby place charges of treason and treachery upon you; The sentence is _death!_ "

He wove his arm to one of the soldiers behind me, signaling the order. Panic kicked in once more, I tried to stand up and run away, but as soon as I did, I froze upon meeting with Peppy holding his blaster to the center of my forehead; He laid his finger on the trigger, then said.

"Farewell, Fox!"

* _BANG!_ *

Everything turned into darkness. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, I couldn't _feel_.

My life was reduced to an empty void of darkness.

But then... I could hear again... An echo calling my name...

"McCloud... Hey, McCloud...!"

* * *

" _Hey!_ "

The voice came out louder and clearer than ever, I opened my eyes and saw Wolf standing in front of me, looking extremely pissed.

" _What the hell's your problem?! Can't you hear?!_ "

He yelled; I took a few moments to realize, but snapped myself out of it and started pushing him back into the room.

" _Get back there, you idiot! You want the others to see you?!_ "

Not two seconds later, we were back inside my room; I slammed the door shut and locked it in a rush. Calming myself down a little, I opened my laptop and started to boot a special program for Wolf to use; He watched me type a series of commands into the computer, and was apparently upset I wasn't paying any attention to him, so he asked.

"Where the hell is breakfast? I'm starving!"

" _First_..." I said in annoyance, practically shoving the laptop on his face. "Let's get this over with."

Wolf snatched the laptop and took a quick look at the screen, which contained what seemed like a 3D replica of Venom.

"What's this supposed to be?"

" _Are you really that dumb_?! That's supposed to be Venom, you idiot."

"Seriously, what the hell bit you today, McCloud?!" He grumbled at me. "I know it's Venom, so what?!"

"Look..." I say, sighing and trying to speak with a calmer tone. "This is a actually a scan of Venom's surface made before Andross's exile. You can spin it around, zoom in, and pinpoint any location you want. Just keep tapping on the screen, you'll learn to use it; Then save the coordinates when you're done."

He took a moment to study my words and slowly turned his attention back to the laptop I gave him. Taking his time, he tried one finger gesture after another, trying to figure out what commands each swipe and tap executed. As for me, I kept tapping my foot impatiently on the floor, wondering why he couldn't figure this out faster and end my torment already; I almost thought he was doing it on purpose. And when I _wasn't_ looking at him, I'd keep an eye on the front door, having this unnerving feeling that someone would knock the door down and capture both me and Wolf on the spot, trading secret information about Andross; That was a scene I dreaded, but couldn't help but replay it over and over again in the back of my mind.

I looked back at Wolf, who was still seemingly tapping the screen just for the hell of it; I was about to scream at him to hurry up, but managed to stop myself when I saw him finally using the zoom feature and mark a coordinate on the screen. The confirmation sounds coming from my laptop were music to my ears; From what I could tell, he marked about at least five to six different locations by the time he was done. He sighed in relief and was ready to hand me the laptop back; I eagerly snatched it away from his hands before he could, though. I started to analyze the coordinates he saved, each were followed by a detailed description, something I liked. After some time, my eyes were completely fixed on the screen, unable to believe to my luck; I've got it... I've finally got what I need to take Andross down! I felt like laughing hysterically, but then...

" _Hey!_ "

Wolf's voice filled the room, and he sounded angry; I jumped back and turned my head to look at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I gave you what you wanted, now it's your turn; Get me the hell off this ship, McCloud!"

"I..." There was no response from me, I was so focused on getting this information I didn't know what to do next. "I'll be right back."

I quickly turned to leave and started walking towards the door; When suddenly, Wolf's fist hit flew past me, hitting the door and blocking my way. He grabbed my shoulder with his other arm and spun me, practically cornering me against the door.

" _You're not going anywhere! You're gonna do your part and get me off this ship,_ _ **now!**_ "

He snarled at me with his fangs bared. I admit, for that moment, I actually felt pretty scared of Wolf and what he'd do with me if I had gone back on my word; It was the scariest I've ever seen him act towards me. His impatience and distrust were pretty evident, and since I had no idea of what to do, it only made me even more nervous. Coming up with a fast excuse, I gulped my breath and tried my best to mask the fact I was scared of him.

"I will... I was just about to get your money... along with the breakfast."

He didn't flinch and looked a little confused, so I decided to fake a smile and add.

"Rather leave with an empty stomach, or something?"

I noticed he was starting to calm down; Eventually, he removed his fist away from the door. As a sign of trust, I stretched the laptop out for him to reach.

"Hold it, you can give it back to me when I come back."

He spent some time studying my expression, trying to find any signs of dishonesty; Thankfully, he silently grabbed the laptop, turned around and started to walk towards the bed and sat on the edge; Crossing one leg and both arms, he looked at me and said.

"So?! You're going or what?!"

My only response was to nod and leave the room quietly. Just as I closed the door, my legs started trembling, and soon enough, I felt myself sliding against it to the ground as if a massive boulder had been lifted off my back. This was perfect; Now that I had the key to finding Andross, I had to decide what to do with Wolf. Well... I could wait until the soldiers from Katina show up and take him away, but... Maybe, if I take too long, Wolf will probably delete the info, or worse, destroy my laptop altogether. I have to face it, the only way I can have this for sure is if I let him go; But if I do that, I'll probably get in trouble with my team, the army, and maybe even the entirety of Corneria.

So many decisions and so little time to act, it's driving me insane...

* * *

A short while later, I had returned to my room with Wolf's breakfast and a sum of money in my pocket; I ultimately had decided to let him escape, as any other option would be way too risky for me. Somehow, the thought of going there, stun-shooting Wolf and retrieving the laptop never sat well with me; It's wasn't that Wolf didn't deserve it, but facing him in combat and outright back-stabbing him were two _very_ different things, the latter felt like a whole new level of low.

I don't get it... Why am I like this? I _wish_ I wasn't like this; I have every reason in the world to get rid of Wolf right now, but somehow, I can't... Huh, I guess what Pigma did to my father has left me a scar way deeper than I thought it was, and now I can't go through with the mere thought of back-stabbing someone; Or at least, that's what I like to think... Maybe I just let myself get sucked in Slippy's idealism or something... Ugh... My head hurts when I think about it; I should just go back to business already.

Back to reality, I was standing in front of my room; I opened the door and found Wolf laying in the same position as earlier, staring at me as if he'd been expecting my return since I left. Not wasting a moment, I put the plate on top of the TV table and reached for my pocket to pick up a roll of money; After I did, I stretched my arm out and handed it over to Wolf. He took the roll in his hands, unwrapped it, and started to calculate the amount there was in there; By the look on his face, I could tell he wasn't impressed by the size of the roll to begin with. Anyhow, while he was distracted with his money, I retrieved the laptop Wolf had set on top of the bed and took a few steps back, distancing myself away from him and laying against the wall; I crossed my arms and waited for Wolf to finish counting, and when he did, he wrapped the papers again and started pointing the roll back at me.

"You've got to be shitting me; You want me to believe _this_ -" he gestured with the roll in his hand. "-is everything you've got from saving Lylat? Really?!"

I let out a small chuckle and answered.

"Of course not, but it's enough for you to lay your ass low while I confirm _these_." I said, showcasing the laptop in my hands. "When I do, I'll give you the rest, promise."

His only response was to shoot me an angry glare and start growling at me.

"What? You really think I'd let you give me fake intel and run away like that?! I don't think so."

Wolf then ceased his anger and started talking more reasonably.

"Why would I lie to you? You said it yourself, we're both after the same thing. Besides, Andross would have me killed before you could go looking for revenge; And as much as I'd like to scam you, I'd like it even more if you could just get rid of him for me."

"Maybe..." I shrugged. "But I'm not taking any risks, _specially_ with the likes of you."

"Whatever you say." He said, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, can I _please_ get off this godforsaken ship?!"

I paused for an instant, thinking about what to do. Then, I pointed my finger at the plate I had set on the table earlier.

"Finish your breakfast; When you're done, we're gone."

Wolf heard my words and didn't seem like he wanted to protest, he just picked the plate and started digging in quietly without even staring at me like he usually does; It was as though he was confident that it was the last thing he needed to do before I'd set him free, and by the look of things, I'd say he was probably right.

* * *

The past twenty minutes had passed by in a blink; Wolf didn't even felt like he was in a hurry to get out of here, he was taking his time to enjoy his last meal aboard this ship. For the whole time, I felt that same anxious feeling as before, the feeling that someone would kick the door down and discover us; This time, however, I wasn't afraid that someone would come; Rather, I was afraid that someone would _not_ come. I couldn't bring myself to betray Wolf, so I spent the whole time praying someone else would just come and do what I was unable to do; Sadly, that moment never came. It had taken longer than I expected, but eventually, Wolf had finished his meal; I could tell when I heard the sound of the spoon clinking to the plate, followed by the sound of it being set on top of the TV table once more.

I looked back to see him wiping his muzzle with his arm, then he asked me.

"I guess this time, you're going to let me go, right?!"

"Sure..." I said, almost sounding like a whisper. "You go first."

I motioned for him to get out of the room, he then stood up from the bed and started walking towards the front door; Once he was out, I walked towards the bed and set the laptop on top of it; Then I moved back to leave the room myself, closing the door shut and locking it right after. I looked back at Wolf, who was with his arms crossed, waiting for me to get him out, and told him.

"Follow me."

Reluctantly, I started to walk towards the docking bay with a slower pace than I was used to, Wolf was following right behind me. And once again, that nerve-wrecking feeling started to hit me... This time, I was hoping desperately that we'd stumble upon someone in the corridors and they'd detain Wolf before I could reach our destination; By fate or luck, that didn't happen as well. I cursed myself under my breath for allowing this to happen; If it wasn't for Peppy, I could make up something about Wolf escaping again, but now it was impossible; And to make it worse, Peppy is probably telling the general about this. I was so displeased with myself... I felt weak, powerless.

I was completely distracted by my thoughts and was about to take a turn to the right when we reached the end of a corridor, but then I felt Wolf grabbing my shoulder and pushing me behind him.

" _Hey!_ "

"I know the path from here, don't stand in my way." He retorted.

I was about to yell something in protest, but then I noticed, I was walking right behind Wolf; He wasn't paying any attention to me.

_This is your chance! Shoot him from behind; The bastard won't even know what hit him!_

I could, but...

_'But' nothing! You go on with this stupid plan, your rep will drop like a fly; Peppy will be mad you; The military will blacklist your name, at best; Star Fox will be doomed, and it's going to be all your fault! It's either you or him now, Fox; And you know you're more valuable to Lylat than this piece of junk. Do it!_

No! I don't care who he is... I wouldn't be able to call myself any better than Pigma if I go through with this; I can't do it!

_Take one good look at this guy, think about everything he's done, now think about everything he'll **do**. Don't think of it as back-stabbing, think of it as poetic justice! He deserves that and much more, and you know it!_

Before I even realized, we were standing in front of the hangar doors; I snapped back to reality when they made a loud noise and slid before us, opening the path for the docking bay. Wolf instinctively started walking towards one of the Arwings docked there; He still wasn't bothering to pay any attention to me, the person behind his back who could very well shoot him with a clear shot.

_This is your last chance, Fox. Take him down right now, or else, everything will go down for you._

No... There must be another way... C'mon, Fox, think... Think!

...

_That's it!_

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Sorry, for the millionth times, for the lack of updates. It's not that I'm losing the interest in this story, it's just that... I don't know how to write it without it sounding like a piece of crap._

_For example, I had a pretty hard time trying to play off Fox's confused thoughts here, main reason why I had procrastinated so much._

_Hopefully, things will get easier next chapter... Hopefully..._


	10. Deja Vu

Wolf didn't waste time in walking without worry towards one of the three Arwings stationed in the docking bay; With a quick glimpse, he had studied which one was in the better shape and had taken his pick; As for me, I had spent the whole time worrying about the repercussions of my actions and came up with something that might help make it seem less... treacherous, for the lack of a better word. It was crazy, reckless and dumb, sure, but way easier for me to live with than the other two alternatives.

With that set in my mind, I saw Wolf was already opening the canopy of an Arwing; I rushed to him and managed to put my hand inside the cockpit just in time before it closed.

"Hold on!" I shouted, stopping the glass from slamming shut. "I gotta ask you something."

" _Grr_... What is it now?!" Wolf said, scowling.

"Tell me, how would you rank Andross's security?"

He looked away in confusion, then shot me a questioning glare.

"What kind of question is that?"

I sighed and went straight to the point.

"I was thinking... What if we go to Venom and shoot the living lights out of Andross and what's left of his army? I just wanna know one thing: you think we can do that all by ourselves?"

Wolf looked away from me and started scratching his chin for an answer, he then smirked back and answered.

"His security is shit; Back on his hideout, he'd only keep a few guards around to protect him, _at best_. I could've gone there and ended him all by myself!"

 _Then... why haven't you?_ I thought. _  
_

"So, do you mind if we pay him a visit? We kill him together and I'll hand you the money and... something more."

"Sure, why not?"

I hear his answer and start sporting a weak smile.

"Good... You can go ahead and lead the way, I'll be following you shortly."

I told him, removing my hand and letting the glass shut and lock, securing the Arwing; Right after, I was turning around and moving towards another Arwing. Unnoticed by me, a wicked grin started to grow wide in Wolf's face and he muttered to himself.

" _As you wish..._ "

After securing my own Arwing, I ordered R.O.B. to open the gates and prepare the ships to take off. The two of us started the engines of our Arwings; As expected, Wolf was the first one to blast away, and I soon started following suit.

It was finally time to put an end to this; Next stop: Planet Venom!

* * *

Peppy tapped his fingers in the chair's armrest, he was sitting close to the main console located in the Great Fox's bridge. Finally, the response he's been waiting for the whole day had come; He heard the communications channel ring with a request, and with the press of a button, static stabilized into a raspy, laid-back voice.

"This is Commander Bill Grey from the Katina Defense Force to team Star Fox, requesting permission for docking."

"Granted."

Another series of inputs later, the gates of the docking bay opened to receive the green-colored star fighter; Bill docked his ship and took a look around his surroundings, getting a clear view of the Great Fox's hangar. Soon, the doors slid open and Peppy had come to greet him; Opening the canopy of his ship, the canine jumped down and shook hands with the hare.

"Hey there, Peppy; It's been a while."

"Sure has, Bill. Though, I'm a little concerned... Did you come all by yourself?"

Bill slightly spun his head in confusion.

"Is there any problem? I mean, it's just an escort, isn't it?"

Peppy shook his head a bit.

"You shouldn't be so sure, you don't know half the things someone like Wolf is capable of."

Bill rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder.

"Ha! Believe me, I know it better than anyone..." He said, looking back at the hare. "But anyway, let's get this over with; Where's that mutt?"

"Right here."

Peppy said while turning around and heading out of the docking bay with Bill following right behind him; It didn't take too long before they were walking through the corridors of the Great Fox and Bill decided to bring up a topic that got Peppy on his nerves.

"So... Where did everyone else go? Taking a hike in space?"

"Slippy and Falco are in the engine room, trying to fix this ship; As for Fox, he-"

"Hold on!" Bill interrupted him, his joking demeanor suddenly dropping down. "You mean you're not the only one in this ship right now?"

Peppy looked back at him confused.

"No?... What made you think I was?"

"Well... When I docked my ship here; I swear to God, there was like, only one Arwing in the docking bay; I thought everyone else left."

It finally hit him as hard as a brick, Peppy knew what this meant and decided to accelerate his pace until both him and Bill were running towards my room; Once they got there, Peppy was already furiously banging on the locked door and yelling at me to come out.

" _Fox, open up!_ "

There was no response, so he started banging it again more viciously.

" _Fox!_ "

The lack of response soon made Peppy give up and realize that I really wasn't in my room anymore. Determined to find me, he rushed with Bill towards the engine room, where Slippy and Falco resided; The toad and the avian were gathering some device pieces by the time both of them arrived, and Slippy, being an old friend of Bill since the academy days, was all too happy to see him again.

"Hey, Bill! You guys came to help us fix the rest of this thing?"

Slippy happily exclaimed, Peppy walked in front of Bill and asked the toad.

"Where's Fox?!"

"Huh? Fox?" Slippy thought for a while, then shrugged. "Sorry, haven't seen him."

"Stop playing dumb with me, Slippy!"

The hare shouted, raising his finger up in the air as if scolding him.

"I know you were involved in all of this, so spill it out already!"

"Wait, he was involved in what?" Bill asked, turning his head to Peppy.

"But I really don't know; I've been here the whole day!" Slippy turned to the avian behind him for reassurance. "Isn't that right, Falco?"

Falco, in turn, could only look at everyone in mass confusion.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?!" He asked.

Peppy tried to collect his words by inhaling deeply, he then said.

"Slippy here-" He pointed his finger accusingly at the toad's face. "-has been helping our old pal Fox let Wolf escape!"

Falco's eyes opened wide and his voice became hysterically furious. "He's _WHAT?!_ "

" _Ah!_ " Slippy screamed with his high-pitched voice and ran behind Bill for cover. " _Don't hurt me!_ "

* * *

It's been nearly an hour or so since Wolf and me left the Great Fox and headed straight for Venom; Most of the trip has been silent and uneventful, consisting of only one pattern: Wolf would guide me and I'd follow. We were travelling through Sector X at this point, scrambling through the metal leftovers from the war; I had a vision from a few weeks ago, remembering how Slippy foolishly tried to take on one of Andross's weapons and got shot down to Titania as a result; In that moment, I had decided to compromise the mission and go save Slippy from the dangers of the desert planet. Falco got quite upset, but thankfully, he was the only one.

*Sigh* ... Compared to now, everything used to be simple back then; If only I could go back in time...

My comm feed then brought me back to the present, the static soon molded into Wolf's figure.

"Fox, can you hear me?"

"I'm here, what's the matter?"

"... Nothing, I just wanted to talk for a bit."

Wait... Wolf?... _Talk?!_ Now, that's odd; I wonder what he's up to.

"Why?" I asked him plainly.

"We've still got a few hours of flying to do; Why not?"

My mind tried to go for a topic, anything both me and Wolf could relate to, but it failed in the end.

"As much as I'd _like_ to talk to you," I said with a hint of sarcasm. "-there's nothing for us to talk about."

"Maybe not for _you_ , but there's something I wanted to ask for some time now."

"What is it?" I asked, raising my eyebrow with curiosity.

"That day... back when we fought at Fichina... why did you save me?"

The way he asked that question brought me a slight discomfort. This topic was supposed to be forgotten, but apparently, it's been haunting Wolf for days...

"I mean, you wanted to kill me so bad, you left me in that place to die... But then you came running back to help me. Why did you do that?"

To be honest, I'm not even sure; I was about to say something among the lines of ' _Fichina's weather was driving me nuts,_ ' but that wouldn't be completely true; So I said this with both my head and voice laying low.

"I just imagined what'd it be like for you to die like that... I ended up saving you because nobody deserves to go that way."

"Not even Andross?"

My ears perked up when he asked me that and I raised my head back to look at him speak.

"If it were Andross or Pigma in my place when that happened, would you do the same thing?"

Now that I think about it; No, I wouldn't! I don't know about Pigma, but if it had been Andross back then, I wouldn't just let him fall; I would shoot both his hands to _make sure_ he'd fall. This raised yet another million questions in me, why did I save Wolf then? What is it about him that made him so different than Andross or Pigma that made me value his life more than theirs? Of course, I wouldn't tell him about any of this, so I replied with a small and straight "I would."

There was silence from him at first, but eventually, he spoke again.

"That says a lot about you."

I heard him say with a hint of disappointment in his voice, it really got me confused. What exactly did that say about me? That I'm some sort of 'good guy' that goes around trying to help those in need, even my enemies? Maybe I a little bit, but...

"Your turn now!" He says, interrupting my thoughts. "Isn't there anything you ever wanted to ask me about?"

"... No."

Another pause in his voice, he sighs and responds shortly after.

"Alright then, let's keep going. I'll call you again if I need something else."

"Riiiight."

And so, we shut our comms off and resumed our travel towards Venom. To tell the truth, there _was_ something I've been meaning to ask him for ages, but I preferred not to do it; I've already figured the answer long ago as the time passed and our rivalry strengthened, the only thing asking him about it would do is enrage me even more, so I kept it to myself; After all, I have to keep us both on each other's side if I want this stupid plan to work the way I want it to.

* * *

There was a click sound the door lock made as it released, thanks to a spare key I had left for Slippy; The toad slowly twisted the knob, creaking the door open and peeked inside in search of me and Wolf.

"Fox? Are you there?"

Realizing there was no one, he opened the door completely, allowing the others to walk inside. They've proceeded to check the bathroom, but no luck there either.

"This makes no sense." Said Bill laying against the wall. "Fox would never let a guy like Wolf escape like this; What the hell came over him?"

"It's because of Andross." Slippy said with Falco and Bill eyeing him intently. "Just a few days ago, Fox found out Andross was still alive; So, he teamed up with Wolf to know more about how to find him and destroy him, since Wolf was working for him all this time."

"Why the hell didn't he tell us about this stupid plan?! Is he crazy?!" Falco angrily asked the toad.

Slippy sighed and answered. "Because Peppy wouldn't allow it; And you would just whine about the money and not let him go through with it."

"Excuse me?!" Falco said, frowning at Slippy.

"That's what Fox said, not me!" Slippy retorted.

Falco then felt his anger vanish and he soon looked away from the toad to reflect about the words he'd just said. _So that's what he's been thinking about me all along, huh?_ He thought. Next to the bed, Peppy was feeling guilty for not monitoring Fox further; He brought his hands to cover his face in shame and let himself slide down to sit on the mattress.

 _This is all my fault... How could I be so careless?_ The hare thought. Slippy sat beside him and comforted him by wrapping his arm around Peppy's shoulder.

"It's okay, Peppy; We'll find them. You'll see!"

"Can't you just track their ships or something?" Falco asked.

"Way out of range now, not possible." Slippy replied in a sad manner.

The toad then felt himself bump into something as he shifted his position in the bed; Pulling the covers and reaching for it, Slippy picked up the object in his hands and analyzed it.

"Hey... this is Fox's laptop!"

He said aloud, getting everyone's attention. He powered up the device and let it boot; After a while, he realized it wouldn't serve him much purpose, as he was blocked from further investigation by the login screen.

"Crap, it's locked by password! I'll see if I can crack it and-"

"No, no, no; Wait! Let me try something, first."

Bill asked with his hand reaching out for the laptop; Slippy figured it would save time if he managed to do it, so he handed the laptop over to the canine. Bill then started to press a few keys, followed by tapping the Enter key and... voila! The sound of the welcome screen tune filled the room. The canine then gave a short, heart-felt laugh. "Same old Fox." The other three approached him and peeked over to see an open program with vague coordinates set on planet Venom.

"Now, what is this supposed to be?" Falco commented.

"These must be the coordinates to Andross's secret hideout! This wasn't here before; Maybe that's where Fox and Wolf ran off to!" Slippy answered.

"You think we can use these to track them down, Slip?" Peppy asked.

"Maybe he could, but..." Bill said, looking at the various coordinates again. " _Which one do we use?!_ "

* * *

Finally, we've reached our destination: Venom. As we begin flying through the red-brown tinted wasteland, I stick close to Wolf's tail more intently than before; It was time to meet Andross face-to-face and end his reign of terror once and for all, and I wouldn't let this opportunity pass for anything in the galaxy. I keep following Wolf, passing through a number of deserts and rocky mountains, and he leads me to a shoreless cliff that was being engulfed by the acidic seas of the planet; My comm then buzzed with life and he showed up on my screen.

"Here we are." He said.

"Here?" I asked incredulously, looking at my surroundings from the cockpit. "Where's his base supposed to be? I don't see anyt-"

Just as I was about to finish that sentence, I noticed the waters of Venom began to get rough; My eyes widened in shock as countless ships emerged in the distance. If one were to look from afar, they could say it was the end of the world as the seeming cloud of pure black approached. Why the hell did this happen?! Was Wolf's information inaccurate?! Or was it just Andross expecting us?! Common sense kicked in and I thought it was best for us to get the hell out of there; Maybe I could've gone through this fleet with the assistance of my whole team and the Great Fox, but just me and Wolf? It's suicide!

I quickly turned my ship around and started boosting towards space, opening the comm channel to alert the other one.

"Wolf, there's too many; Retreat now!"

In that moment, I felt my ship shake violently and my shields weaken; I had just been hit, and not only that, but the source of the fire came from another Arwing!

" _Can't let you do that, Star Fox!_ "

Wolf said with a shit-eating grin in his face, rehearsing the words he'd told me when we first fought in the war.

"You bastard!" I yelled, dodging another shot from him. "After all I've done for you!"

He then started to laugh in a mocking and menacing manner.

"You really think I'd let you live after all you've made me go through in that damned ship of yours?! Now, it's time for payback; _You're going down!_ "

My mind then flashed back to the moments I've treated Wolf badly while he stayed with us in the Great Fox; Spitting on his face, cuffing him to the pipes of his cell and stealing him many nights of comfort, torturing his hunger when he'd refuse to eat... I may have gone overboard, I admit it; But do I deserve this?! Do I really deserve _this_?!

Eventually, the power to boost came to an end and the others ships approached quickly, firing their blasts whenever they could; I've tried everything I could to get away from their line of fire, but with so many shooting at me at the same time, it was impossible; There was never a moment my ship wouldn't be hit by one of their shots; It was all over from there, the shields' power was decreasing non-stop... 50%... 45%... 30%... I wouldn't last much longer. My only resort was to try and send a distress signal to the Great Fox and pray I'd live long enough for them to find me; After many failed attempts with my fingers shaking wildly, I finally managed to press the right sequence and the console showed me the confirmation that the signal had been sent.

This moment of relief was cut short not too long after; Another shot coming from Wolf's Arwing had hit me and with no more power left in my shields, another hit had blown my wings off and my ship was sent spiraling down, pulled back by Venom's gravity force. At that point, I could only grudgingly imagine how wide that stupid grin of his has grown as I descend to my doom. I tried to eject, but my controls had become unresponsive from the damage it had taken; I felt terrified, trying not to look at the incoming ground by focusing my attention on the altitude meter.

400... 350... 200... 80... 50... 25...

It hit zero; Just as it did, an earthquake engulfed my ship and my body was thrown across the cockpit like a rag doll; The canopy shattered and many shards of glass cut through my skin before the back of my head hit one of the metal walls with great force. My consciousness began to fade away, and soon enough, my world had turned itself into nothing, but a void of cold, painful, unwelcoming darkness.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_I've reached chapter 10, yaaaaayyy... I need a life._

_I might have to go on hiatus again... MIGHT!_

_(But considering the time I take to update this thing, I'd say I already am)_


	11. Under Pressure

I felt a discomfort in my back; My consciousness was returning to me bit by bit. Shortly after, the discomfort turns into full blown pain as I groan and try to open my eyes and look around; I was awake, but not enough for me to register what the hell happened or what was going on. From the blurred mess that was my sight, I realized I was sitting behind in the back of a ship's cockpit, the only things I could see was the clothed back of a figure on the pilot seat and the sky moving behind the canopy glass. And still, I couldn't think straight; My head was aching so much... I tried moving my hands to rub it, only to realize they were restrained against each other; They were tied up behind my back. It was then that it all came rushing back to me... The attack on Venom; Wolf's betrayal; My ship's crash... The person in front of me seemed to have heard all the noise I was making and decided to open his muzzle without even daring to look at me.

"Well, well... Look who's finally awake."

He spoke with a snarky, demeaning tone; That was Wolf, for sure.

"Why am I still alive? Wasn't it your wet dream to kill me or something?"

I didn't know why, but I was in good humor enough to play along with his persona.

"As much as I'd love to do that, Andross had other plans; He's ordered me to bring you back, so he can have a little talk with you."

"Really, now?" I fake a chuckle at him. "So I guess all that talk about how horrible and unforgiving he is was just a load of crap you've thrown at me, huh?"

"What, that? No, I was being dead honest about it."

"Then why are you doing this?!" My humor suddenly dropping like a fly. "Why go back to the guy who made you his slave?! What is wrong with you?!"

"Because _I'm_ the one who's getting rid of you, not him!"

As he said that, he submerged the Arwing under the acidic waters of Venom; Making a U-Turn and heading straight towards a gate hidden in the rocky walls of the underwater cliff. The gate opened before us and the ship had passed through, now flying through some sort of tunnel.

"The original plan was to just leave you two to kill each other, then I'd get rid of whoever the hell survived and take the credits for it... But then, you kinda asked me to take you here and _'help'_ you destroy him; So, I figured... Why wait so long and put my tail at risk? I can have my revenge right here and now."

The ship then passed through a few more gates and emerged out of the water, leaving the sea behind.

"As for Andross, now that I have his trust back, it's going to be _far way easier_ for me to destroy him all by myself."

He finally turned his head to stare at me, piercing into my eyes with a satisfied expression and a wide grin in his face.

"Thanks a lot, pup; You've done me a hell of a favor. Now, the whole galaxy will tremble before me!"

Wolf ends his discourse by laughing hysterically at my foolishness for helping him. Somehow, I can't feel angry about it; Part of me wants to despise him and shoot every limb of his body until he falls lifeless to the ground... Yet, that's not what I'm feeling; I feel... hurt?... sad?... confused?... I can't describe it completely, only that it doesn't feel anything like anger. A short moment passes by, and that question I've been avoiding to ask finally escapes my lips.

"Why...?" I say it with a broken voice. "Why do you hate me so much?! You've joined a war to just to kill my team, _twice_." I suddenly remembered that he was also after my father back in the day, and anger finally builds inside me, making me yell at him at the top of my lungs. " _WHAT THE FUCK DID WE EVER DO TO YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?! TELL ME ! ! !_ "

The question had an answer all to obvious to be asked, the reason was as clear as day and Wolf practically proved it with his little speech; It's because he's a bad guy, and that's exactly what they do. You can try shoving emotions down their throat and guilt-tripping them all you want, it matters jack shit to them. What really matters to them is power, and anyone who stands in the way of that power has to suffer.

I knew this was coming... I knew I should've put him to rest the moment I had the chance; But I was too weak to do it. Unlike him, I have a sense of morality, and that makes me weak and susceptible to manipulation.

Surprisingly, he didn't answer. He sat there in complete silence, piloting the Arwing without acknowledging me until he reached a hangar, and then started the procedure for docking.

"Tell me... Why?!"

I tried asking once more. As I did, the ship docked rather roughly, making my body shake and my back bang against the wall; Wolf then opened the canopy and finally turned around to look at me with a frown; Somewhat of an angry, displeased expression.

"Because..." He snarled, grabbing my chest and lifting me up to look at him at his eye level. "Now that you're out of my way, _no one will ever dare mess with me again!_ "

As he shouted the last sentence, my body was thrown out of the cockpit and fell face-first into to the ground; I could feel a large surge of pain coming as my chin connected to the floor of the docking bay. Wolf soon jumped down himself and quickly forced me up on my feet, grabbing my tied wrists with a single hand.

" _Move!_ " He commanded as he pointed a blaster - _my blaster_ \- to the back of my head.

For the time being, I can do nothing but obey.

* * *

"Distress signal. Received. From. Planet. Venom. Source: Arwing."

The robot's voice echoed through the bridge; Slippy rushed to the console and typed the commands he needed, expanding the details of the received call. Using a special program, he managed to track down and simulate the location of the coordinates the signal was giving him; Upon analyzing it further, he noticed a similarity with the ones from Fox's computer.

"Bill, could you hand me over the laptop?"

The canine nodded in agreement and gave him the device; Slippy then proceeded to compare both screens and came to a conclusion.

"That's it! The signal came from a point near this base!" He concluded, pointing to a location in the main console's screen. "That's where we can find Fox and Wolf!"

"For real?!" Said Bill, making a rhetorical question. "Well then, send the location to my ship; I'll be going now!"

"Going? Where?!" Slippy asked as the canine turned around to leave.

"I'm going back to Katina and getting as much backup as I can, then I'm flying to Venom and taking Fox out of there."

"Can you even do that?" Asked a dubious Peppy, earning a chuckle out of Bill.

"This is Fox we're talking about, right? I'm sure the army won't mind if I take a few people to rescue him."

Peppy nodded in agreement, then turned to speak to the rest of the group.

"Alright, everyone. We're going to Venom and we're getting Fox back. Bill, proceed with your own judgement; Slippy, send the coordinates to the Katina base; You, me and Falco need to hurry up and fix this ship. Is everything clear?!"

He received a positive response from Bill and Slippy, but Falco? He looked at them with frustration.

" _Have you all gone mad?!_ " The avian shouted, making the other three fix their eyes on him. "Don't you guys remember Wolf was piloting one of these ships?! What if he's taken Fox somewhere else?! What if he's sending this out as a trap to us?!"

There was a moment of silence in which everyone looked down to think about it, prompting Falco to continue.

"This is Andross we're talking about. We can't just go in there like we're walking down the street; What if we end up just like Fox's father did?! What if-"

" _In that case,_ " Bill suddenly cut him, bitterness escaping from his voice. "We need to find him _now_. I don't know what you're gonna do, but I'm not just gonna stand here like they did with James while my buddy is out there being tortured to death!" He then looked angrily at Falco. "If you wanna stay here and wait for him to die, good for you; But I'm going there, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

The three remaining members of Star Fox just watched quietly as the canine left the bridge with his intentions set on stone. There was yet another moment of silence in which Peppy waited until Bill could hear him no more, and once it was over, he looked back at the avian and told him.

"You know he's right, Falco. For now, there's nothing else we can do; We either accept the call and find Fox, or we might end up losing him forever." _And I'm not repeating the same mistake again, I won't lose his son just like I lost him._ He thought, setting his eyes on Slippy, who was listening to the whole argument from the console. "Slippy, let's get this thing to run; We only have a few hours before we can join Bill in the attack!"

"Right!"

Both of them stood up from their chair and walked away, while a perplexed Falco watched them from the distance.

_You're crazy... All of you... You're all crazy!_

* * *

The elevator finally stopped and opened its doors; As it did, I caught the sight of a lengthy corridor, similar to those I've flown through the first time I had invaded one of Andross's base. Wolf then started pushing me, motioning for me to walk forward; I did it, and for the time I kept doing it, I began to memorize the paths he was leading me through in the slim chance of finding a way to get out of here alive. I knew it was all lost the moment I stepped in here, but I still held on to hope, mentally repeating every direction we had turned to.

_Left... Left... Right... Right... Left..._

We turn right once more, and a group of Venomian soldiers suddenly surround us with their weapons ready; Wolf just kept walking confidently while the mix of lizards and monkeys marched alongside him. We stopped once we reached a double door, and Wolf used the hand with the blaster to open it while the other one was busy restraining my wrists. We walked inside of what I assumed was a meetings office; There was a large table in the middle of the room with several chairs scattered around; A few decorative plants in the corners of the walls; A large, flexible monitor was attached to the center of the roof; But nothing was compared to what I saw at the opposite side of the table from where I was standing. There was a man, sitting in a single large black chair... A monkey, to be precise; With red skin, white hair, sporting a pitch black business suit, along with some kind of staff in his left hand. I knew him...

"Andross!"

Wolf shouted from behind me; I then felt him pushing me to the table and shoving me down in one of the chairs; He sat beside me and wasted not a second in aiming the blaster directly to the side of my head. The other soldiers stood by the door and guarded the entrance in case one of us tried to escape. Surprisingly enough, Andross's eyes weren't fixed on me, but on the lupine sitting by my side.

"I bring to you, the son of James McCloud himself!"

The ape responded by throwing me a quick glance and returning his eyes to stare at Wolf; By the look of things, he wasn't really fazed by my presence, the small grin of amusement suddenly dropped from Wolf's face as he began to notice it.

"What's the matter?! This is what you wanted, isn't it?!"

After another row of silence and glaring later, the deep, distorted voice of Andross comes out at him.

"Tell me, Wolf... What exactly did you plan to accomplish by coming here?"

I could feel the tension of the blaster nudging my head drop down slightly.

"Are you expecting me to accept a begging mutt back into my army?! Well, let me show you something."

Andross sharpened his glare and picked up a remote from underneath the table; Pointing it to the roof, the monitor was brought down and began showing a series of slides. "Do you recognize this?!" He asked as the screen was showing a grey, rocky wasteland filled with debris and burned out metals; If I were to guess, this was the supply depot we had destroyed in MacBeth. "And this?!" The slide then faded to a picture of the void of space, located near outside Venom's atmosphere; I could recognize it, those were the remains of the Air Defense fleet we had broken through in Area 6. "And this?!" He asked with the rage building up inside him; This time, the slide transitioned to the Ground Defense fleet, followed by the remains of the destroyed Bolse outpost.

Wolf was quiet as each slide transitioned into another; While he could answer these questions, he did the smart thing and chose not to. The remote once again pointed to the roof and the monitor was hidden away from view; Andross then adjusted his suit and sat back in his chair, placing his elbows on the table and intertwining his hands in front of him.

"These were the fruits of _your_ incompetence. As you couldn't stop Star Fox from damaging, or outright destroying all of my defense mechanisms, those damned Cornerians have purged the majority of my beautiful army. I have lost a war, I'll take years to rebuild the bio-weapons and bases you couldn't defend, my army is in complete shambles right now and it's _all your fault!_ What makes you think I'd give another chance to a failure like you?!"

I couldn't help but snicker a bit as Wolf was getting the scolding of his life, but then.

" _Because!_ " He snarled, pushing the blaster tighter against my temples in annoyance. "Now that your army is wiped out and Star Fox is missing their beloved leader, you're gonna need a new pilot; Someone to fill in for these worthless insects you call your fleet!"

The ape calmed down, giving him a smirk and closing his eyes thoughtfully.

"Yes, you are absolutely right." He then glared back at him. "But unfortunately, that position is already taken."

With a snap of his fingers, I could hear another person entering the room; At that point, turning my head around would likely earn me a shot, so I saved the effort and watched Wolf's reaction instead; He seemed to be in complete shock at the sight of the new arrival.

"Hello, Wolf; It's been a while."

That voice... It was deep and gentle, though still psychopathic in its own. I recognized it, it was a man who used to fly as Star Wolf's ace; Leon Powalski.

"Leon?! What the-?! How did this happen?!"

"Natural charm, my old friend; They don't call me the 'Great Leon' for nothing. But don't worry about that now..."

Just as he finished, the lizard started taking a few steps forward towards Wolf; He flinched and shoved the blaster tighter against me.

" _Back off! You take another step and I'll blow his brains out!_ " He snarled, Leon responded by continuing to walk and giggling like a maniac. " _I mean it!_ "

Adrenaline started flowing through my veins, I could feel it; Wolf _was_ going to shoot me if I didn't do anything about it. My face started to sweat and Wolf's grip on the trigger was getting stronger following the rhythm Leon got closer; Once he came close enough, my instincts gave in and I shoved Wolf away with my shoulder; The impact was strong enough so my head was no longer in the blaster's range, and it gave enough time for Leon to restrain Wolf's arm and push him violently against the table. In response, he let go of my tied hands and tried elbowing Leon in the stomach, but even that was quickly blocked by the lizard's hand and painfully forced to join the other arm behind his back.

Leon grinned in satisfaction, while Wolf was growling with rage.

" _Damn you, Leon! I've taken you out of this shithole, and I can put you back just as easily!_ "

"Is that so? Guess what?" He then pulled Wolf's torso a few inches back and once again shoved it violently against the table, earning a hiss out of the lupine. "I don't need you anymore, _Lord_ O'Donnell!"

He said in a demeaning, mocking tone; Then, he picked up a needle out of his back and injected it into Wolf's neck. The lupine started to pant, his vision became heavy and started to narrow down until his eye was fully closed; His breathing started to become slow until his body stopped moving completely, being drained of every remaining life sign he had. Wolf was done for, and by the look of things, I was going to be the next- No... I _wish_ I could go out like that; If I were to die, that would've happened in the crash. Andross ordered him to be bring me back here alive, so that means a lot of torture will be involved beforehand...

Chills were sent down my spine as Leon wrapped his arms around Wolf's limp body and threw him over his shoulder, dragging him away from the room. That left me alone with Andross and his guards to deal with; He didn't seem to have given much importance to what just happened between Wolf and Leon, but he sure started grinning like a mad man once we were the only ones present in that place. He stood up from his chair and started walking around the table, not taking his eyes away from mine for a single instant as he reached towards my direction.

What is he planning now?!

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_First of all, sorry again for the lack of updates._

_I'm trying to post a new chapter once a week, but my brain can't handle it._

_So here, take this chapter as a Christmas gift and Merry Christmas to you all._

_Now seriously, I'll be taking a break from this for a while. Gonna be traveling, spending Christmas/2017's Eve with relatives and all that._

_Til' next time! And by the way, Wolf is not dead, just unconscious._


	12. Shattered

Walking aimlessly through the dirty streets of Venom, a lone grey figure desperately searched for a place to take his worries away. It hadn't been long since his last mission, when a group of soldiers had taken hold of a few fighter ships and organized an escape strategy to get out of Venom; His mission was to track them down and eliminate them, no matter the costs. It was a strict policy on Venom that no one leaves the planet grounds unless explicitly ordered to; Breaking that policy would immediately mark the responsible parties for execution, and Star Wolf's mission couldn't have been any different; They flew, they found them, they killed them. For him, though, it wasn't as simple as that.

Wolf continued to walk, looking around and analyzing the poor infrastructure of the city. It's true that Andross had made parts of this planet livable; How 'livable' it was, however, depended exactly on who you asked. He kept wondering again what kind of alloy did they use to make these buildings, ending with the assumption it was probably clay. Still, the whole thing was an eye-sore; _How the hell is someone able to live in a place like this?_ He thought. In contrast to his higher rank, he had a nice place to eat, drink and sleep; So this shouldn't have been another source of stress for him, but it was. _Is this what everything will become once he rules the galaxy?_ He asked himself.

As he couldn't leave the planet grounds, his life had quickly become stale; There had been countless promises about how everything would improve and everyone would be free to roam the system again once the war had been settled, but even that started to become old pretty fast. He figured he might wander the cities and find something new to do in order to lift his spirits, but what his sights currently presented him only served to further bring him down. Thankfully, not all was lost, as he came to a stop once he was standing in front of what seemed to be a bar. _Just what I needed..._ he thought, mentally smiling as he opened the door.

The doorbell signaled the other customers of his presence, and suddenly, the whole world's eyes were upon him. Everyone looked like they had seen better days, Wolf thought; Some were indifferent, others were amazed, and some others looked at him akin to envy and disgust. " _Hey, isn't that Star Wolf?_ " He could hear some of the patrons whisper. Wolf had decided to pay them no attention and kept walking towards the counter; Setting down in a stool, he signaled for the bartender to come and take his order. Just as the old ape came into view, he grunted.

"Just give me something to get drunk _fast_."

He finished, slamming down a few golden coins engraved with Andross's face on top of the counter. The bartender said nothing, just took the money and gave him exactly what he wanted; Taking a beer bottle out of a shelf, he poured some of it in a glass and slid it over to Wolf, who eagerly grabbed it and had taken a sip of its contents; Swallowing the liquid and letting the alcohol mix through his blood, releasing his tensions away with an audible "Ahh~!"

Time had been frozen. For now, there was only Wolf and his beer; Everything else he had to deal with didn't matter anymore. Not long after drinking his first shot, his ears had captured the doorbell ringing, marking the arrival of yet another customer, but he paid no attention; Resorting to remain his sights focused on that single piece of glass containing the one drink he was so craving for. It wasn't until the guest had finally taken a seat in the stool beside him that he laid his single eye upon the figure; A slim reptile, most likely a chameleon, with his eyes narrowed so tight it seemed they were almost shut.

"Hey, Steve!"

The man shouted with a deep, soothing voice, bringing the bartender's attention to him. Setting his money on the counter, he didn't even need to speak again as the ape was already pouring a drink in front of him. _Seems like they know each other..._ Wolf had taken very little interest in the action, and soon wove it off to start taking another sip of his own beer. The chameleon, in turn, also paid no attention to him, tapping his fingers impatiently on the counter until his drink had finally come sliding in his direction. He looked around the bar for another source of entertainment, and what he saw to his very right had brought a great source of amusement to him.

"Well, well... Look who we've got here..."

The tone of his voice caused Wolf a small ping of annoyance, making him feel unwanted; He continued drinking his beer without trying to acknowledge the other one's presence. The chameleon's smile began to fade, bothered by his span of silence, he tried speaking once more.

"I know who you are!"

The lupine then set his glass on the counter and merely glanced at him with a glare.

"I'll guess that only means you're not planning to fuck with me, are you?"

"Relax, my friend; I'm not here to fight." Said the reptile, raising his arms in a defensive gesture.

"Then what the hell do you want with me?" Wolf replied, taking another sip of his drink.

"Nothing; I'm just impressed that the likes of you are hanging around a place like this." He finished, earning another moment of silence out of the lupine. "Aren't you supposed to be eating lobster with the rest of your elites or something?"

Swiping his lips off the liquid with an entire arm, Wolf grumbled.

"Don't fucking tell me what to do!"

"Easy there, buddy; I wasn't attacking you or anything."

The chameleon said with a smirk.

"And stop calling me your buddy; It hasn't been five minutes now, and I already don't like you!"

"Oh..." He said while jokingly bringing his arms to hold his chest tight. "How you hurt my feelings."

" _Stop. Talking. To me!_ "

Wolf snarled, looking at his own glass and noticing it had become empty. He slammed the glass against the counter, generating a *thump* sound that was loud enough to catch the bartender's attention. The ape approached him and immediately started to refill the lupine's glass; Meanwhile, Wolf sat there with his arms crossed and avoiding the lizard's stare, waiting for his drink to be delivered. Not too long afterwards, it was sent sliding to him, and he eagerly took it and drank his first sip, still trying to prevent another remark from escaping that lizard's mouth and getting on his nerves. He took a quick look to the side and got even more irritated when he saw the other one drinking in the same rhythm as he was. Both took the glass off their lips at the same time and licked off the remains, that's when the chameleon opened his trap; Much to Wolf's annoyance.

"You know? I think I've figured why you're acting so upset... and why you're here now."

"Oh, really?! And why would that be?!"

Wolf grumbled, turning his gaze away from him.

"You're having trouble finding a fourth member for your team, am I right?"

Awkward silence filled the air, it wasn't until a few seconds later that Wolf managed to respond.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't need a fourth member!"

"What? Are you not going against Star Fox?" Said the lizard, chuckling. "You must be really brave, or really stupid, to be going against four pilots with a team of only three."

" _Pfft!_ Star Fox doesn't have four pilots..." Wolf muttered with disinterest, bringing the glass close to his muzzle to drink the next sip.

"They do now."

Those mere words were enough to make him pause, and brought Wolf's full, undivided attention to the other man. Once again, he couldn't manage to come up with a reply, filling the air with uncomfortable silence; He then waited for his companion to continue.

"Star Fox has just recruited a new pilot as their ace, some bird by the name of Falco Lombardi. It's not official, though; They're still negotiating... but everything points to the team hiring him soon."

Finally, the lupine managed to come up with an adequate response.

"How do you know about this?! I didn't hear a goddamn thing from Andross's intel."

Pulling the collar of his shirt, the lizard replies with a grin. "I have my own sources."

"Riiight... And do your 'sources' know I'll have to kill them for leaving the planet?"

The chameleon then giggled at the apparent death threat he'd just received.

"You won't do that... Not unless Andross finds out; But worry not, my friend; That's not going to be an issue!"

Wolf sighed in defeat and slammed the glass against the counter, letting drops of his drink spill out; He rested his elbows on top of it and supported his temple against a single fist, contemplating about the new source of stress that had just been delivered to him. The chameleon sitting by his side, grinning as ever, leaned in to place a hand on his shoulder, and muttered out these words.

"Let me cross this one off your list... _I'll be your fourth pilot!_ "

All he received in exchange was a heart-felt laugh from Wolf, perhaps the only time he'd ever see him in good mood that night.

"Honestly?... You?!" He then took another sip of his drink, smacking his lips together, then said. "Lizards don't fly."

"Neither do wolves, but here we are." Strengthening the grip on the lupine's shoulder, the chameleon leaned in closer and muttered in an even quieter, threatening tone to his ears. " _You know you need me... War is approaching fast and you have no other option anymore; I'm your best shot right now, so deal with it!_ "

Wolf felt a surge of uneasiness running through him; Reacting quickly, he roughly pushed the reptile back to his stool, grunting. "Get lost!"

Taking the last remains of his drink, he set the glass on the counter and was preparing to stand up and make his exit. Just then, he heard that cursed chameleon talking to him once more.

"What about a challenge?"

His ears perked up as soon as he realized the meaning of that statement; He sat in place and turned his head to meet with the chameleon's gaze.

"You and me; We fight until the other one lands three hits on their ship. If I win, I get a place on Star Wolf."

With a small smirk, Wolf started stroking his chin, considering his offer. "And if I win...?"

"Hmm..." The lizard replied, looking away pensively. "What if I pay for your drinks 'til the end of the war, how does that sound?"

Wolf closed his single eye and faked contemplation; It wasn't the money, nor the poor return of his victory that had gotten him interested in that man. Regardless, he had a reputation to keep, and he couldn't waste it by accepting a nobody's challenge so quick like that.

"I'm _really_ hoping you're as good as you make yourself out to be!"

Was all he could muster without sounding weak in front of whoever patrons were listening to their conversation. In response, the chameleon sported a wicked grin and lifted his drink to the air in a gesture of partnership.

"And I'm really looking forward to working for you, _Lord_ O'Donnell."

The two then spent the rest of the night drinking together, getting to know each other, and waiting to sober up and finally take on their promised battle.

_Lord O'Donnell, huh?... I like the sound of that._

* * *

"Leon..."

Wolf groaned weakly, slowly regaining his senses from the drug he'd been injected with. He finally opened his eyes and started taking a grasp of reality once he heard a few sets of unknown metals clinking to each other; He realized he was laying on his back and staring at a room's ceiling. He tried to move his body to a sitting position, however, his body would only move slightly, being held back by a strong grip on all his limbs; Lifting his head and looking down at his arms and legs, he slowly noticed they were being trapped to the surface by a pipe strap.

It soon pained him, he was on top of an operating table; Not only that, but an operating table owned by Andross. Wolf started to panic, pointlessly trying to push his limbs upward and break free from his straps to no avail; When all of his strength had run out, he started moving his head around erratically, trying to find something or someone that would help him escape. The sounds of tools being gathered grew louder, and he tried to locate the source from his limited point of view; He had finally caught it when they passed by his table without noticing him.

The source was turning their back on him, but he could recognize who it was by their race and uniform. It was a male monkey of red skin and white hair, sporting a brown trench-coat and a pair of dark-blue jeans; The same uniform that was worn by Star Wolf in the Lylat Wars.

"Andrew! Help me!"

His shouted loudly, the ape heard his pleas and turned around; He didn't seem to be fazed by the situation, however.

"Oh... So, you're awake?"

He remarked with a cool attitude, then turned his back on him once more. Wolf could only hear the sounds of clinking metals again before he tried calling out for help a second time.

"C'mon, Andrew! If you don't release me, they're gonna cut me up!"

The ape in question closed the drawer and walked back to the table, crouching down and staring at Wolf in his eye level.

"What makes you think I care?"

He muttered in a calm tone of voice to his face; Wolf then tried to fake a laugh and get him on good humor, hoping it would help him in the end.

"C'mon, Andrew... We're on the same team; _All of us have failed!_ You think it's fair I'm the only one being punished here?"

The ape merely glared at the helpless figure that was Wolf and narrowed his eyes before his next answer.

"Do you think I'm stupid, Wolf? I know of your little plan."

The lupine's smile vanished when he said those words, he merely listened as Andrew continued.

"Leon's told me all about it... How after you'd get rid of Star Fox, you'd just run away with the money and _assassinate_ my uncle! That's what you had in mind all along, isn't it?!"

Just then, Wolf entered into a state of shock, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. That wasn't just his plan, that was _their_ plan; Before the war, he would talk to Leon about stopping Andross before he could rise to power. Both would then recruit whoever they could from his army and build a colony of space pirates together, which they'd use to survive afterwards.

" _So it was true, huh?!_ " Andrew began to snap, drawing a large scalpel in front of Wolf's face. " _I'll make you pay for trying to use my uncle like that, you ungrateful dick!_ "

Wolf finally took notice of the imminent danger and tried his best to reason with the enraged ape.

"Andrew, listen to me; Your uncle is a _freak!_ If you let him, he's going to turn Lylat into a giant slum!"

" _Shut up..._ " The ape muttered, his voice quaking with anger.

"He doesn't even like you; He's only put you on my team to get rid of you! _Open your eyes, dammit!_ "

" _SHUT UP ! ! !_ "

A large surge of pain came as Andrew dug his scalpel deep into Wolf's left thigh, ripping the flesh apart for as much as he could until it came out from near his knee; Wolf screamed as much as he could, enough that the entire building would be able to hear if the room wasn't soundproofing his pain. Even if it wasn't, he knew from then that nobody would come to help; Star Fox was captured, all of his teammates had turned on him, and now he was alone with the devil's advocate himself.

His screams would go on for as long as they planned to keep him alive, and judging by what he'd already seen, it'd be for very, very long...

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Wolf-centric episode, because... Why not?_

_It was about time to start giving him his spin of the story._

_But still, the best character in this chapter is not Wolf, but rather... *drum roll* ... Steve, the bartender!_

_Please, don't remember him; He's a one-time irrelevant background character who'll never show up again. ^_^  
_

_By the way, I'm considering going back to 3rd person writing. I mean, this chapter's been a good exercise._

_I think I learned now how to write stuff without sounding overly repetitive._


	13. Pride and Valor

He approached at a steady pace, passing one chair at a time, smirking upon that vulpine's helpless form sitting in the chair; As for him, he was silently growling to himself, mentally calculating how much distance he'd need before he could make his move. It is true that he had his hands tied up, but that wouldn't stop him from mauling the ever living soul out of Andross with his jaws; He had thought about it time and again, it wasn't like him to go wild on his enemies; But for this one in particular, he was perfectly willing to make an exception.

The ape came closer... Standing merely a few meters apart from him.

_C'mon, just a little more... Just one good bite on his ass and I can die a happy man._

One of the guards noticed the aggressive vibrations coming from the vulpine once Andross was coming within reach; Reacting quickly, he rushed forward and slammed the vulpine's body to the surface of the table.

"Don't even think about it!"

Having his only chance at redemption ruined, Fox unleashed all his anger. He began growling loudly and struggled to get free, pushing and kicking the man behind him, trying to bite him whenever he could; The guard forcefully slammed him down one more time with a bit of extra strength and ordered him to shut it as the other guards quickly pointed their guns to his back. It had gotten Fox even more agitated, but no matter how much he tried to move his head, the man's grip held him right in place. It wasn't until Andross was right in front of him, looming over his figure, that he finally ceased his struggles and stared motionless up at the most hateful individual he had ever met in his life.

"Star Fox~! We finally meet face to face."

"My name is _Fox McCloud, YOU SICK FU-_ "

He spat, earning yet another slam from the guard as reassurance.

"My, my~ You don't need to act so violent!" The ape chuckled. "All I want is to have a nice, peaceful conversation with you."

With a wave of his hand, the guard released his grip on the trapped vulpine; Slowly, but carefully, Fox rose up from his bent position and managed to sit back in his chair, eyeing his foe dreadfully, eyes wide open with confusion. Andross then picked a chair from the left side of the table and started to talk.

"You see, Star Fox; You have a level of talent that's unmatched by anyone else in this whole wide system."

Andross started, earning an empty, sarcastic ' _Thanks._ ' from the target of his compliments.

"You alone managed to defeat hordes of my deadliest bio-weapons, my deadliest soldiers in the deadliest weaponry I could afford-"

"Just what is your point?! Spit it out, already!"

The ape looked deep into vulpine's eyes for a short moment.

"All I'm trying to say is that someone with such talent is wasting their skills working for the wrong people."

Fox then started to have a laugh fit, speaking in a good-humored, chuckling way.

"What?! You're gonna tell me Corneria is evil and you're the good guys?!"

He finished while laughing some more, his eyes starting to become filled with tears of joy. Suddenly, Andross stood up from his chair and began pacing around back and forth across the room.

"Let me tell you a story, boy..." He stated while the vulpine's eyes followed his every step. "Once upon a time, there was a generous man who wanted nothing, but peace and prosperity to all of Lylat; A man gifted with such an extraordinary brilliance that he was envied and demonized by whoever he came across-"

"So, I'm guessing 'peace and prosperity' is what you use to call _bio-weapon manufacturing_ these days?"

The vulpine spat, interrupting him; Andross turned around and glared into his eyes.

"There was never any manufacturing; My experiments were all used for the sake of scientific progression!" He retorted boldly, then turned away from the vulpine and resumed his tale. "However, after one pesky accident, my actions were terribly misinterpreted by the Cornerian army, and I was given the maximum penalty for all the good I've meant with my projects... death!"

"Did you forget to mention your _'pesky accident'_ left at least a dozen innocent people _dead_?!"

The ape glared at him one more time, then looked away in shame, softening his voice for a short moment.

"I hadn't calculated on the probability of that experiment reaching the proportions it did; Like you, and every other person in Lylat, I am a living being; Even someone with an intelligence level like mine can make mistakes..."

Sharpening his voice and returning his glare at Fox, he continued.

"But Corneria wasn't satisfied with a simple apology; Not only they've decided to exile me to this horrible wasteland, they've decided to apply the same punishment to my dear family. Scientists and pilots alike who had never done any harm to anyone; They suffered merely for their existence!"

"Just what are you trying to do?!" The vulpine yelled, stopping the ape's monologue. "You've killed my father; Not only that, you've got one of his own men to kill him!"

Slamming his palms to the table in front of him, the ape shouted back.

"I was merely defending my planet! Would you believe Corneria would've done it any other way?!"

"Yet, here you are, trying to tell me you're so much better than them; You say shit about how you and your family _suffered_ , but in the end, you've done the exact same thing to him!" Glaring deep into the ape's eyes, he shouted as loudly as he could. " _You're no victim, you and your goddamn monkeys deserved everything that's come to them!_ "

Andross clenched his hands into angry fists, looking fixedly at the emptiness of the table's surface.

"I apologize for what I did to your father... But every cause comes with sacrifice." He stared back at Fox with a pitiful expression. "Didn't you _ever_ have any goals that you wanted to sacrifice everything you've had for it to happen?! _Think!_ "

Just then, images of Wolf flashed back in Fox's mind, reminding him of how far he'd go just to have Andross be put down for good. The ape looked at how his expression shifted as he thought and took this as a sign of agreement and smiled at him.

"Now, can you see? You and I are not so different, Fox McCloud." He slowly moved his hand under the vulpine's chin, making Fox look deeply into his crimson eyes. "Join me, Fox... You've been deceived by Corneria, indoctrinated with hateful values." The vulpine's began to soften as he was listening to him. "Together, we can build a whole new system where no one will suffer like we had to!"

All seemed to be working perfectly; Andross was smiling with satisfaction upon seeing Fox apparently considering his offer. He started to lean in closer to the vulpine's face, strengthening the eye contact between each other; Suddenly, Fox's expression turned furious and the vulpine shot out of his chair, bringing his jaws deep down on Andross's throat, violently biting off parts of his neck. The old ape yelled out in extreme agony, and before any more damage could be done, the guards had instantly fired a stun shot at Fox, making him release his grasp on Andross, who knelt down to the ground in pain and moved his hand to support the wound.

"Emperor! Are you alright?!"

A few guards ran over to assist him, but Andross instantly pushed their arms away. Crawling up and supporting himself against the chair, he looked down on the vulpine's unconscious form. Panting heavily from the pain and the shock of the blow, he told his guards.

"Lock him in the dungeon!"

"But emperor, this man is a dangerous threat to your-"

" _Are you questioning my orders?!_ " The guard had stepped back in fear. " _I said, take him to the dungeon, now! Don't you understand?!_ "

Gulping some breath, he nodded and immediately took the vulpine away from the room. It wasn't long before the other guards had come and helped Andross stand up, advising to treat the bite wound as soon as possible. He nodded in agreement, leaving the room and making his way toward the infirmary in his base.

* * *

Back in the engine room of the Great Fox, Peppy, Falco and Slippy were working as fast as they could to fix their mother-ship.

"Phew! Only two more turbines to go!"

Slippy exclaimed while running off to pick more supplies. Suddenly, Peppy's communicator rang and R.O.B. informed him of Bill's arrival. He delivered the news to the other two; All three stopped what they were doing and made their way to the bridge; Upon there, they prepared to open their gates and made contact with the commander from Katina.

"Good to see you again, Bill. Did you get your backup?"

"More or less, you tell me!"

Peppy then turned to the radar and opened his eyes wide in shock upon seeing the countless dots blinking in the screen simultaneously.

"Peppy, you better take a look at this!"

Slippy shouted as he and Falco gazed through the window into the vastness of space. At first, there was nothing; But then, the empty void had started to fill itself with hundreds, perhaps thousands of green-colored ships that extended beyond their reach into the black horizon.

"I wasn't kidding when I said I'd bring as much backup as I could, hehe~!"

Bill's voice echoed from the communication devices. Peppy soon left the console and joined the others; Falco, in particular, was just standing there extremely shocked with his mouth agape. The hare slowly approached the window, and seeing how much help the canine had brought in, he broke into a joyful, hysterical laugh.

"Remind me to buy you a nice drink when we're all done, Bill!"

"Hey, I know the place."

The pilot responded, and winked after doing so. Soon, he docked inside the mother-ship and made his way toward a greeting session in the bridge with the three mercenaries; After all of them had settled in, everyone circled around an electronic operations table, observing a three-dimensional simulation of a Venomian cliff engulfed by its acidic seas.

"Alright, everyone. This is what we'll do!" The old hare stated. "According to the map on Fox's computer, there should be a hidden base around here!"

He swiped his finger across the table screen, bringing its view into the rocky ocean below.

"That's where they must be keeping him. Since it's guaranteed Andross might still have a fleet of his own, Bill and his fleet will be providing backup while we'll be sending one of our men to rescue Fox."

"Hold on, you guys are gonna send just _one guy_ to rescue Fox?!" Bill asked. "Isn't this kinda dangerous? Who knows how many soldiers or traps there might be down there?"

"It is... But the Arwing is the only ship with enough resistance to survive Venom's waters, we have no other choice." Slippy explained to him.

"That's right! And besides that, it's not like we'll be going unprepared either; Slippy has invented a device that'll let us hack into the base's systems. He'll be staying in the ship and he will use it to guide us through the safest route."

Bill then brought his arms behind his head to rest on and placed his feet on the table.

"So all we have to do is keep shooting the heck out of everyone and buy you guys time? Got it."

Peppy nodded in agreement, staring down at the table once more.

"We may have failed with James, but now that Andross's air defense force is no more, we have a big opportunity in our hands and we can't waste it!"

"Sounds good to me. By the way, who are you guys sending?"

The hare remained pensive for a moment, then turned his head to speak.

"Falco will go, he's the most-" He interrupted himself once he realized Falco was nowhere to be seen. "Slippy, where's Falco?"

The toad then looked around and couldn't find him either. "I don't know, I could swear he was sitting here just a minute ago!"

Peppy then turned to their robot. "R.O.B., give me the last location Falco has been seen at!"

"Affirmative." After processing through a brief scan of their security footage, the robot came with the results. "Falco. Has been. Last seen. On. The docking bay... He has. Taken off. With. An Arwing."

" _What?!_ " The toad screamed.

Slippy immediately rushed to one of the bridge's consoles and tried to locate Falco. Seeing his ship flying away within range, he quickly sent a communications request to the Arwing. Within seconds, he received a response and the avian's face was projected in the screen. He wasted no time with greetings and immediately snapped at him.

" _Falco, where do you think you're going?! We need that ship, dammit!_ "

"Sorry, Slip... But I'm tired of this crap; I'm leaving Star Fox for good."

The toad's eyes jumped wide open upon the avian's announcement.

" _Say what?!... Why?!_ "

"Because you're not a team, you're just a bunch of children pretending to be mercenaries." He stated boldly, briefly continuing. "In the end, all of you are hiding something behind the others' back. Your _'leader'_ is now getting us into a huge mess with the Cornerian Army, and not only he's released one of Lylat's most dangerous criminals, now we hav... to go ... save his h..e against _Andross_ , of all people!"

Slippy started to become even more enraged as Falco's transmission was getting weaker and increasingly filled with static.

"Oh, and he's also ...red you, the worst goddamn pilot in t... entire system. That alone says ...lot about him!"

" _You're an idiot! Don't you care about what happens to Fox?!_ "

"Sure I do; But have ... seen the size of Bill's fl...t? A pilot less w... make a ... difference. So, I... just take th..s ship as the pay...t for this... trainwr...ck of a mis...n. I mean, th...t's all I'm good at, ri...t? Whining ab...t my payc...ks and all t..."

" _You don't understand, Falco. We need the Arwing to rescue Fox!_ "

By the time he said that, Falco's screen had become completely static. His ship was now out of reach, and there was nothing else he could do about it.

" _Falco?!... Falco?!... Damn!_ " He yelled, banging the console in frustration.

"What happened?!"

Peppy asked from the distance. Slippy started panting from stress and replied while pausing for breaths.

"Falco... He screwed us up... Stole the Arwing..."

He calmed down, slowly turning to the hare for advice.

"What are we gonna do now, Peppy?!"

Fishing for a thought for a short while, the hare soon came up with a suggestion.

"How long can the Landmaster last underwater, Slippy?"

"Well... long enough; But... how are we gonna deploy it?! The Landmaster can't fly, and the Great Fox is in no condition to move either."

In that instant, Bill raised his arm up in the air, grabbing the attention of both.

"Hey, I forgot to mention something; I've got a carrier outside!"

"Huh?!" Asked the toad, dumbfounded. "Why did you even bring a carrier?!"

The canine shrugged. "I thought it would help if I brought a few people to help fix your mother-ship or something."

"Thanks again, Bill." The hare stated, placing a hand on the canine's shoulder. Shortly after, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Alright, everyone; Change of plans! Slippy, you'll be staying here to fix the Great Fox as quick as you can. Once you do, catch up with us on Venom; I'll be sending the data analysis to you once you're in range, so you can guide me from the Great Fox. Understood?!"

"Isn't it better if I just come along in the Landmaster?"

The hare shook his head.

"It'll be safer for both of us. If we go together and one of us fails, we'll both die."

"But what if I don't fix the Great Fox in time?! I'm not gonna be there to guide you, and you're gonna get yourself killed!"

"I'm sure you can do it, Slippy. Remember! Bill's mechanics will be here to help you out."

"Yeah, Slippy. I've seen you work before, man; You're gonna make it!"

The toad smiled and nodded. "Right! I'll do my best!"

"OK, people!" Peppy shouted, clapping his hands together. "Let's get to work!"

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Hey, it's me again. As you can see, I've went back to 3rd person writing (DON'T KILL ME!)_

_The reason is that 1st person felt like a complete pain in the ass, and most of it became boring as hell._

_This ain't a detective story for Fox to be in the 1st person all the goddamn time, this was a mistake._

_Eventually, I'll be skimming down and rewriting the first 10 chapters,_

_not only because of the new style, but also because they feel like a huge load of filler._

_By the way, if you haven't noticed it yet, I really don't like Falco. ^_^_

_See you next time!_


	14. A Place Without Hope

Fox was slowly realizing what happened.

Everything was dark and he could feel was the taste of blood lingering in his muzzle.

_Dammit, I was so close..._

He couldn't help but wonder if he was successful in killing Andross, but had an unnerving feeling he wasn't. Otherwise, why would he be here?

More of his senses returned and he noticed he couldn't feel his feet touching the ground. He wasn't stepping on anything, but he wasn't lying on anything either...

Each of the vulpine's hands felt slightly limp and his arms were stretched above his head, and any attempt to move them would cause his whole body to swing.

Opening his eyes, he caught the sight of a dark figure in front of him, hanging above the ground with their hands strapped above their head just like he was.

His sight was way too blurry to notice anything and tried its best to adjust to the dim illumination of the room he was trapped in.

It had become focused a short while after, and he could finally capture the person's characteristics and analyze them properly.

When he saw just _what_ was in the opposite side of the room, he immediately wished he didn't; The sight terrified him on every level.

What he assumed would one day be somewhat a source of joy for him was turned into his worst nightmare.

His mouth was agape and coughing like he was about to throw up, but Fox tried his best not to.

What he saw exactly was the corpse of his father's late wingman and team traitor, Pigma Dengar.

All that was exposed from his body were his head and his hands, but that was enough to give Fox a clear depiction of what he had become.

The Star Wolf outfit he donned now looked twice bigger the size fit for him.

There wasn't any signs of physical torture on his body; No traces of blood or open wounds; Nothing, but his malnourished, decaying skin.

Fox could make out each and every single bone in Pigma's body, as though his skin had become nothing, but a piece of cloth put over his skeleton.

By the look of things, Andross had locked Pigma up in here and left him to his fate.

There was a scenario playing in the back of Fox's mind, the one where he could see himself spending every day without eating anything, forced to stare at a bunch of decomposing bodies while knowing he'd become one of them someday.

Fox had become paralyzed, his thoughts were a storm of many different fears being combined into one. How long would it be before he would go mad? How long would it be before he starved to death? And how must it feel like to be mad, or dead?

The shock eventually worn out and he started to cry, not wanting his life to end like that; With everything he's fought for to avenge and make his father proud being a failure.

He felt extremely weak, but couldn't afford to care. After all, there'd be no one to wipe off his tears, nor there'd be anyone to witness what he's become.

The only thing left to do for him is to unleash his emotions and let every single drop fall from his eyes straight to the ground.

 _You're too young to be a mercenary._ Peppy's words echoed through him. _Please, Fox. Reconsider!_

_I've made my decision, and I'm doing this with or without your help!_

Since the beginning, he was used to listening about how most people his age were only good for making the stupidest decisions of their life.

In that moment, that wouldn't be far from what he felt like. Every single decision he had made from the start has landed him in this position...

Trusting Wolf... Ignoring Peppy's warnings about him... Deciding to keep it all hidden from the general, who he considered a family...

His weep slowly turned into a sob, which continued for minutes and minutes to come, until it finally came to a stop.

He didn't know how long it had been until his ears caught a faint sound coming from afar.

Fox tried his best to hide his crying and focused on the sound he'd just heard.

It soon turned into a beat that was growing louder and louder by the minute.

_Footsteps? Someone's coming._

The sound soon had become solid and three figures emerged from the darkness.

Two of them were dressed just like all the other Venomian soldiers, a pair of an ape and a lizard; Each of them were holding an arm from an unconscious man with grey fur, carrying him through the cave while his limp feet were being dragged across the ground.

As they came closer, Fox could make out the man's race and vestment; A lupine sporting a black t-shirt, a pair of dark-blue jeans and grey shoes.

Several cut wounds were visibly slashed through his skin, leaving many spots of the surrounding fur bald.

_Is that Wolf?_

He became shocked with the lupine's condition, even more when his suspicions were confirmed when both guards walked past Fox, making him get a glimpse of the black eye-patch he was wearing; They stopped in front of an empty chain set located right next to the one Fox was strapped to.

Both proceeded to lift the lupine's arms up one at a time and strap him there while Fox watched from the corner of his eye.

The vulpine's face was still slightly matted from the tears of his earlier freakout, which caught the attention from one of the guards, who snickered and nudged the other, pointing him towards his face.

When they realized who the prisoner was and what he'd done earlier, both threw a laugh fit right in front of the helpless Fox.

" _Holy shit, this is gold!_ " The ape shouted between laughs. " _This_ is the guy Andross was so scared of?!"

As he continued to laugh, the lizard came dangerously close to Fox's face and told him. "Not so tough now, are ya kid?"

He threw an air punch, stopping it mere inches away from the vulpine's snout, who gritted his teeth and closed his eyes shut out of reflex.

Both threw another laugh fit and proceeded to walk away, never wasting an opportunity to stop and look back at Fox's unsettled face.

They finally disappeared moments later, being engulfed away from his view into the darkness of the cave.

* * *

How long has it been since he blacked out? He couldn't know.

Pain... That's all he could feel when his nerves regained life.

The pain from the endless, agonizing hours from that sick room mixed with the newfound pain he felt from his wounds trying to heal.

He felt extremely weak, limp. He couldn't think properly, his mind was racing to make an understanding of what just happened to him.

He struggled to open his single eye, being greeted by the sight of a dark, rocky wall. Waiting until he could adjust his sight, he noticed the reddish yellow tones illuminating the place and the sound of something burning.

That's when it all came back to him, the images of Andrew slicing his entire body open as he slowly went mad from the blood loss combined with the constant scream of his nerves being pushed to the limit. Now, it seems like they locked him up here in this dungeon.

The place was completely devoid of technology, resorting to only a few torches for illumination and metal straps attached to the cave walls to keep prisoners in check.

This was probably for the best, as any trace of technology could easily make their prisoners traceable; Or at least, that's what he assumed was their mindset.

Andross could just be doing this to his prisoners out of pure sadism, after all.

Wolf then heard something coming from his left and shifted his attention to that direction.

He realized there was prisoner hanged beside him, and they were alive, watching him.

Taking a moment to analyze the man, he takes note of his features.

Red golden fur, green eyes, white jacket...

Gritting his teeth, he recognized who that man was and immediately snarled at him.

"You...!"

No response came from the vulpine, he was just staring at Wolf with his eyes wide open as if he'd seen a ghost.

"What? Ain't you're gonna whine about how I fucked you over? And how I'm here now? C'mon, gimme your best shot!"

Thankfully for Fox, it's been long before his tears had become dry and were no longer noticeable.

For Wolf, though, he took it as another sign Fox was taunting him with a holier-than-thou attitude by giving him some sort of silence treatment.

He growled from the lack of response and turned away from the vulpine.

"Fine, keep your mouth shut! The least I need now is to listen to your bullshit!"

Laying his head against the wall, Wolf closed his eye for a minute and tried to ignore the sharp pain coming from his wounds.

He had accepted long ago that his fate was sealed, so the best he could do in this situation was focus all of his strength on remaining sane.

After many tries, he lowered his head, soon drifting off to the relieving comfort of sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the same base. A monkey could be seen slamming his fists with anger on top of a small table.

In the opposite side, sat a chameleon who was peacefully taking a cup of tea.

Disturbed by his sudden presence, he asked.

"What happened now, Andrew?"

"It's Andross. He won't let me have a piece of McCloud!"

"Oh... that..."

The chameleon said before calmly taking another sip from the cup.

"Why won't he let anyone even touch the guy?! What's so special about him, anyway?!"

Smacking his lips together and tasting the liquid, Leon asked.

"Why is that so much of a problem?"

The ape then glared at him.

"Why?! _WHY_?! That piece of shit ruined our plans, Leon. If it wasn't for him, Andross would still have his army intact and Lylat would be a _much_ better place by now!"

The chameleon merely chuckled, shook his head and set his tea on top of the table.

"You should be thankful to McCloud. If anything, he's stopped Wolf from assassinating your dear uncle."

"Hmph, I guess..." Andrew said, looking away. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and glared back at Leon. "Why didn't you tell me before?!"

The chameleon looked confused and hesitated to answer.

"Tell you what?"

" _Wolf's plans!_ "

Andrew shouted while slamming his palms in front of Leon.

" _Why didn't you tell me he'd try to kill my uncle before he showed up again, huh?!_ "

Leon's expression didn't change, though he did take a moment to respond.

"Because it would just put you off like it's doing now."

He stood up and comforted Andrew by holding his shoulder, looking deeply into his eyes.

"Listen, I know Wolf is a bad man; But in that moment, we _needed_ him; He was the only one who with enough skill to stop Star Fox."

He explained while Andrew retracted his palms and coiled them into a fist, shaking from anger.

"If he wasn't in our team back then, they probably would've made it to Andross; He would've been _killed!_ What matters is that we stopped him. And hey, now he's even brought Fox down with him. In the end, everything worked in our favor!"

The ape nodded in agreement, though his rage was visibly building up. He pushed away the chameleon's hand and started making his way out.

Aware of what Andrew was about to do, Leon grinned in satisfaction and shouted before he'd leave.

"Don't break your toys, Andrew!"

The ape stopped, turning to him and replying sarcastically.

"I'll remember that!"

* * *

Many hours have passed since he first came here, Fox had long overcome his state of shock.

But that wouldn't stop him from having bad predictions about the future. He'd try to think about a way out, a gleam of hope to cling on to.

He thought about the distress signal he had sent before he was captured, but that was no guarantee his team would be able to find him.

Would they know there's a base hidden underground the sea? To their advantage, Wolf did give them coordinates, but were those accurate?

Wolf did tell him he was being honest about Andross- No, he was being honest about what Andross was like, not about his promises.

And still, even if Wolf was telling the truth, even if his team did find him, would they even be able to rescue him with only one Arwing in their arsenal?

It didn't matter how much hope Fox tried to gather, it was always demolished by the next second.

_I have to get out of here, there has to be a way... If I could just get rid of these straps..._

Despite escaping being his only thought, he couldn't figure out a way to do it.

His train of thought would go uninterrupted for hours, until he'd hear the same footsteps from before approaching.

The soldiers had come to get him, he thought. They already had their fun with Wolf, now it was _his_ turn.

Feeling the tension rise up, Fox quickly came up with an escape plan.

_Okay, stay calm. As soon as they release you, stun them, take their weapons, shoot 'em up and run!_

His heart-beat accelerated as the two guards approached. Fox began to sweat subtly and got his feet set for the brawl that was about to ensue.

Only, Andross's minions walked right past him without paying any attention, confusing the hell out of the vulpine.

He looked to his right and suddenly realized they weren't after him, but after the damaged Wolf who laid sleeping against the wall.

One of them used the butt of their gun to punch Wolf's chest, effectively waking him up in shock.

"Naptime's over, dog!"

Fox watched intently as one of the soldiers readied their gun at Wolf while the other one holstered theirs in their back and pulled out a key, moving in to release the lupine from his straps.

A short while later, a *click* sound was heard, and the man pointing his gun at Wolf shot him, sending the lupine unconscious to the ground.

 _Must've been a stun shot._ Fox thought, as there was no bullet hole visible.

He watched as both moved to take Wolf's arms from the ground and started carrying him away.

Bothered that things didn't go his way, Fox shouted.

"Hey!"

The guards had stopped and looked back at him.

"You've already tortured him. When is it gonna be my turn?!"

One of the guards gave him a grin and answered.

"So you wanna get hurt that bad, huh? Pretty boy? Sad for you, Andross told us to not touch you!"

_What the fuck? So he really is just gonna leave me to rot in here? Why is he torturing Wolf and not me? Is that the 'soft' punishment or something?_

Whatever the case was, that only meant his means of escaping were thrown away just as fast as they came.

Fox was so distraught with his thoughts that he didn't notice the three of them were already gone.

Alone once again in that deep, dark place; The vulpine started to panic again, desperately searching for another way to free himself.

Ideas had come and gone, but in the end, only one stuck... One he wasn't particularly fond of...

* * *

Wolf had woken up with just as much discomfort, if not worse, than the first time.

He had little time to process what happened, but he managed to do it quick enough.

It all turned out to be true once he saw himself locked in that sick room for the second time.

Andrew smiling stupidly down on him as his single eye had opened.

"Hi again, Wolf! Did you have a good night of sleep?"

The ape asked in good spirits, insulting the lupine's current standing.

Wolf knew by this point no amount of begging, pleading or bribing would work, so he just insulted him back.

"Fuck you, Andrew!"

"Oi! Why so angry? We're _friends_ , remember?!"

Andrew said with a laugh as he had drawn the scalpel from before in front of Wolf.

"No, we're not friends, we were _never_ friends. You were a burden placed on my team, and we were your _babysitters!_ "

A large scream came from Wolf's lungs as Andrew dug it deep into his right hip, stretching the wound to his armpit.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You were saying?"

Recovering his breath, Wolf lifted his head as much as he could and refused to stop taunting the ape.

" _I was saying..._ You're a fucking _joke_. Had you been anyone else in my team, you'd be dead by now! It's a miracle your uncle hasn't killed you ye-"

His second scream came out before he could finish. Talking about Andrew's uncle was a button he knew far too well and would abuse for as long as he could.

Andrew's expression started to get more and more angry as Wolf's became more bright. He smiled, not even the pain would stop him from getting his much deserved revenge.

"What? Do you really think he ever respected you as a pilot? _Ha!_ "

" _SHUT UP!_ "

The ape shouted, digging the scalpel deep into Wolf once more.

This time, the lupine suppressed the scream while grinning in Andrew's direction.

Andrew removed the object, panting from frustration that Wolf wouldn't give in to the pain.

"I bet he's praying you get shot down right now, the old bastard! Hahahaha!"

He finished while letting out a hysterical laugh, sending Andrew over the edge.

" _That's it!_ "

Andrew walked away from Wolf's view and started messing with a drawer, based on the sounds he heard.

The lupine couldn't see what he was looking for, but he supposed it couldn't get any worse than what he'd already gone through.

He heard the drawer being slammed shut, and then, Andrew walking back to him.

From beyond his sight, Andrew held his muzzle tight and started to force some kind of device into it.

Wolf panicked once he realized it was a dog muzzle. He shook his head violently, trying to get rid of it, but it was far too late.

The muzzle was already inserted, effectively locking Wolf's jaws against each other.

Backing off and panting in hysteria, it was Andrew's turn to laugh at him.

"Don't even blame me; You've got yourself into this, buddy!"

He returned to Wolf's line of sight and drawn the scalpel in front of him once more, wielding a psychotic look in his eyes.

"Anything to say before I cut the shit outta ya?"

The lupine shook his head repeatedly. He was trying to say something, but it was muffled and incomprehensible.

" _Yeah... thought so!_ "

Laughing victoriously, Andrew rapidly dug his blade into Wolf over and over again upon several different spots.

The lupine was completely unable to scream, as his muzzle was glued together.

All that could come out of him were loud hums of agony and tears that were brought by the amount of incessant pain.

Andrew took note of his crying and started screaming between hits.

" _That's... What you... Get...!_ "

After some time, Wolf could tell no longer whether he was crying out of sadness or pain.

Only that it hurt, and it hurt horribly.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_After so many complaints, I've tried my best to do away with the walls of text. Tell me what you think!  
_

_Oh, and sorry for the character torture here and there in this chapter._

_Next one will get infinitely better, I promise._


	15. When Worlds Collide - Part 1

Venom's atmosphere was rapidly approaching into reach, it made the old hare nervous.

If nobody would be able to assist him into the hornet's nest, he considered calling off the attack.

Soon, his communicator rang and he quickly picked it up and brought it to ear level.

"Hello?"

He tried reaching for an answer, but the channel was completely filled with static.

" _Hello?!_ "

He called for response a bit louder.

This time, hearing a rather feminine voice trying to communicate.

"...n...he...now...ppy?..."

"What?!"

The static slowly faded away and the voice became much clear then.

"Peppy...an you...ear me?"

"Slippy, you made it!"

The hare happily exclaimed, sighing in relief.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. The remote control system is now up and running with the Landmaster, bring it close to the base and I'll do everything from then. Oh, and remember to always keep your communicator with you, so I can track you down while you're down there!"

"Hey! Just because I'm old, it doesn't mean you need to tell me everything twice!"

The hare joked, laughing softly to hide whatever was left of his nerves.

"I was just making sure you'd remember... But anyway, be ready... and good luck!"

"I will be as long as you are. I'm counting on you, Slip!"

Ending the conversation, the hare stored the comm back to his waist and held tightly to the bag of assorted weapons and tools he's brought with him.

He stared out the window and muttered to himself.

"May the gods help us today..."

* * *

Fox was getting quite frustrated with himself.

No matter how many times he'd try to find a way out, it'd always come back to the same conclusion.

_No way, I'm not gonna do it. Not after what he's done, this is only gonna bite me in the ass again!_

However, as much as he hated, it _was_ the only way out for him.

Andross would leave him to die just like Pigma, it's been made clear by this point.

Worse, it's been almost a day, and he could already feel the effects of it slowly creeping in to haunt him.

Thirst, hunger, exhaustion... He wouldn't last long, he had to act while he still had the strength.

If it works, well, he'll live. If it doesn't... anything beats dying down here.

_So it's all coming down to this, huh? ... Fuck me!_

He laid his head back to the wall and patiently waited for his 'way out' ticket to return.

A long time later, half an hour or so by his calculations, he heard the familiar steps coming.

The sight of those two guards bringing the wounded Wolf to his prison was now getting unnervingly familiar.

There was a difference from before, however, in that the lupine was even more bruised than before, and he was awake.

Probably too damaged to fight back, Wolf was peacefully letting himself be dragged across the room and deposited against the wall.

The guards then promptly left without saying a word. A gesture well welcomed by Fox, compared to the other times.

Wolf let his head hang low and stared down at the floor silently while Fox watched him.

The vulpine was unable to say word, not managing to bring up a way with his words to convince that dastard lupine to trust him.

He opened his mouth several times, but nothing would come out of it.

There was just way too much animosity between the two for this to even work, he thought.

Fox mentally sighed in frustration and decided to give up. It was foolish to have even come up with it, he decided.

"Why...?"

Suddenly, his ears perked up.

A deep, gruff voice from beside him had just spoken.

He turned his head and noticed how Wolf was now watching him back from the corner of his eye.

"Why they won't do anything to you?! Why are they only doing this to me?!"

The lupine's voice was soft and broken, and the fur around his eyes were matted; As if he'd been crying before...

Had Fox not known who this man was, he would've assumed he was talking to some kind of troubled soul.

Wolf then snapped and began yelling at him.

" _You're the fucker who screwed them over, not me! Why are they treating you better than me?! WHY?!_ "

Fox wished he could answer this himself, he asked himself the same thing moments before and just couldn't muster up an answer.

Getting even more infuriated, Wolf swung his leg toward Fox's. He'd just tried to kick it, but his state wouldn't allow it.

" _ANSWER ME, YOU DICK!_ "

Fox figured this was as good as time as any and decided to reveal his intentions clear.

"We need to get out of here."

" _OH, DO WE?! GUESS WHAT?! WE'RE NOT!_ "

"I know we don't like each other very well. But if we can work together, we might be able to escape!"

Hearing the words come out of that vulpine's mouth, Wolf began to laugh.

"Oh-hohohoho, that's adorable. Work together? You and me?! Hahahahaha..."

He laughed some more before snapping out again.

" _YOU'RE THE REASON I'M HERE RIGHT NOW, YOU ASSHOLE! What makes you think I'd ever work together with a piece of shit like you, huh?!_ "

_What? Me?! You're the one who led me into a trap, you insufferable idiot!_

Taking a long breath and swallowing his pride, Fox continued.

"Listen, I have everything planned out. For this to work, I need you to follow my instructions _very carefully_."

" _I ain't gonna follow a goddamn thing, fuck you!_ "

"Ugh! At least, listen to me before you can judge. Here goes..."

* * *

Hours have passed and Fox had explained his plan thoroughly.

Much to his dismay, Wolf complained time and time again he wouldn't play along.

In the end, he told the lupine he didn't really care, as he wouldn't be tortured so soon, a lie he hoped would stick.

They left it at that, and both laid back to sleep and save their strength for the next moment.

Fox's ears then captured a noise hours later, snapping the vulpine awake in an instant.

There it was, those same footsteps he had heard over and over again, it was time to act.

He then started to kick Wolf's leg lightly with his own, trying to wake the lupine up.

Soon, Wolf was grunting and blinking multiple times, regaining his senses.

He snapped it open once hearing someone shout right in his face.

"Hey! Naptime's over, dog!"

The ape proceeded to holster his weapon behind his back while the lizard pointed theirs at Wolf.

Same procedure as last time, the one thing Fox had hoped for for his plan to work.

While the solider was looking for a key in his vest, Wolf threw a quick glare at Fox and growled.

Taking this as a sign the lupine wasn't going to follow through with this plan, he started to sweat.

_C'mon, Wolf. Pretend you're my ally, just for today. We can go back to killing each other right after!_

The soldier finally found his key and moved over to release Wolf's hands.

The right hand came out first with a loud *click,* and the lupine felt the blood rushing back to his wrist.

Fox noticed Wolf shaking his hand subtly, trying to get it out of its numbness.

Narrowing his eyes and positioning his legs for the first move, he waited for the next part.

The ape then moved over for the left hand, key fidgeting with the lock.

At that moment, Fox tried to focus himself on following the sounds very closely.

*Clang*... *Clang*... *Cling*... _*Clock*_!

His ears had captured the sound he was expecting.

And even before the next *click* was heard, Fox had already kicked the gun off the lizard's arms, sending it flying meters away.

The ape had little time to realize what he had just done, as Wolf had already been set free.

" _WOLF, NOW!_ "

Fox screamed while trapping the lizard between his thighs.

The lupine then dashed forward and grabbed the wrists of the soldier in front of him before he could reach for his gun.

Enraged by this, the ape started kneeling him in the stomach, opening his cut wounds.

He then finished with a kick that made Wolf release his grasp and hit his back against the wall.

With his arms free, the soldier finally took his gun out and fidgeted in the settings, trying to change it to 'kill.'

Wolf took this little moment of distraction to stun the ape by kicking him in the crotch.

At the same time, the lizard had escaped Fox's grasp with a similar move by using the back of his head against the vulpine.

As the ape knelt down in pain, both the lizard and Wolf dashed for the spare gun in the other side of the room.

The lupine jumping to the ground and reaching it first, with the lizard coming right after.

The soldier landed on Wolf's back and started punching it repeatedly, but unfortunately, this wasn't enough to stall the lupine.

Wolf quickly changed the gun's setting to 'kill' and placed its muzzle against the lizard's face, pressing the trigger and ending his life instantly.

He then rolled over and moved the body away from him.

Trying to stand up, he couldn't even aim the weapon at the other soldier.

He froze on his knees as they already had their weapon pointed at him.

"Checkmate!"

The ape said before pressing his finger against the trigger.

In that moment, Fox had kicked the back of the soldier's head, making him lose his aim and send the beam straight to the ceiling.

Falling to the ground, the ape looked up and saw the lupine pointing the muzzle of his gun at his head, and that'd be the last thing he'd ever see.

With a swift motion of Wolf's finger, a beam of light had emerged right before him, and vanished just as fast as it came.

His body fell lifeless to the ground, and with that, the battle was over.

Fox panted from the adrenaline coursing through his veins, watching as the whole scene had unfolded.

He formed a weak smile once everything was over, and looked as the lupine started limping toward him.

"Good job, Wolf... Now get me out of here!"

The lupine continued to make his way unresponsive.

It took a bit of time for Fox to notice the glare of absolute hatred that Wolf was giving him.

His smiling fading away, he tried to reach him once more.

"Wolf?!"

Before long, the lupine was standing a few feet away from Fox.

He started lifting his gun, pointing it directly at Fox's head.

The vulpine's eyes snapped wide open once he realized this.

" _Wolf, no!_ "

And just as quick as they opened, they shut tight as Fox's head swung to the side in an attempt to protect itself.

He predicted this would happen. In fact, he fully expected it to happen.

But he decided to go through with it, anyway.

If anything, his death at Wolf's hands would be quick and mostly painless.

In contrast to staying any longer in that wretched cave, it would feel like heaven.

So even if he had to go, it would still be worth it.

Moments later, Fox realized something... He was still thinking... he could still _feel_.

Wolf haven't shot him at all...

Slowly, but carefully, he opened his eyes to peek at the lupine.

He still had his gun pointed at him, but not toward his head anymore.

Wolf aimed at one of the chain links above Fox's left hand and shot, following by shooting the one in the right.

Fox landed on his feet, relieved.

He then watched as Wolf walked to his side and laid against the wall, sliding down until he sat on the ground.

The vulpine fell down on his knees right in front of him, he checked on his condition, and asked.

"You... you were gonna shoot me!"

Wolf's response was to let out a short grunt that meant the likes of 'whatever.'

"Then, why did you stop?!"

He shouted, watching the lupine shift against the wall.

"Because... *cough*... someone needs to stop that monkey... *cough*... and I'm not gonna do it."

Wolf then dropped the gun in front of Fox, motioning for him to pick it up.

"Get... that... scum... Make... him... pay..."

With that, he laid his head against the wall, staring blankly at the ceiling, closing his one eye to rest.

In that moment, Fox felt a pang of pity for the lupine hit him. Seeing him like that, he...

_No... nonononononononono... You heard him, he's letting you go..._

_No deal to be paid here, just leave him and he'll die._

Fox quickly scooped the gun off the ground and stood up, turning his back against Wolf and started walking away.

He felt his pace diminish by the minute, his mind being invaded by thoughts about going back to save that man.

_Besides, it's not like I can handle that whole army alone. They're just gonna shoot me down again and..._

He shook his head, then started to hit his own temples with his knuckles.

Shutting his eyes, his started muttering to himself.

_This is gonna bite me in the ass... This is gonna bite me in the ass... This is gonna bite me in the ass..._

_This is gonna... Oh, fuck it!_

He peeked back and could see Pigma's corpse hanging right where it was, filling him with even more pity for Wolf.

It seemed as though he no longer had control of his body, as he realized his feet were turning on their own and moving toward the opposite direction.

Before he could even process it, he was already back standing in front of Wolf, who was less than happy by the vulpine's presence.

"...What?!" The lupine asked rather aggressively.

_I hate myself._

Gulping down some breath, Fox tried to make up something to say to Wolf.

"T... T-Take off your shirt."

The lupine blinked confusedly, he looked to the side for a moment before returning the stare to him.

"What did you just say?!"

"I said... to t-take off your shirt, I wanna check on your wounds."

"Are you high? I told you to leave!"

Fox then crouched down to meet him on eye level.

"Look... Call me stupid, but I'm not gonna leave you down here to die just like... like... _that!_ "

He finished while pointing toward Pigma.

"Now please, take it off. I'm gonna take you with me!"

Wolf became paralyzed with confusion, staring up and down at the vulpine in look for answers.

Fox sounded completely sincere, and that was scaring the hell outta him.

Suddenly, the vulpine started to lean in and was about to remove his shirt.

"I... I-I'm gonna take it off now, okay?"

Feeling the touch, a chain reaction was triggered within Wolf.

He clutched Fox's wrist with one hand, cutting into the skin with his claws, while the other one slashed against his face.

Fox tried to dodge, freeing his arm free at the expense of getting his forearm scratched, but didn't react fast enough to avoid getting his face slashed.

" _Ahhh... Fuck!_ "

He hissed in pain as the claws connected to his left cheek and cut deep into the flesh.

Backing off from the rabid Wolf, Fox placed a hand on top of his face and rubbed it to check the depth of the wound.

When he took it back, he was shocked to see the entire palm being covered with his blood.

Growling, Fox snarled out loudly at him.

" _What the fuck is wrong with you, you fucking bastard?! I'm trying to HELP!_ "

" _Get the hell away from me, McCloud!_ "

Once he caught a glimpse of Wolf, Fox noticed the lupine with a shocked face.

His lone eye wide open and his chest panting from anger, he continued.

"You must think I'm stupid, huh? Just a little, stupid dog for you to use, ain't that right?"

"Just what the hell are you talking abo-"

" _DON'T LIE TO ME!_ "

Wolf yelled at the top of his lungs.

"I know what you're planning to do... You can stay there looking at me with those puppy eyes all day long, _you're not gonna fool me!_ "

"Really, now?" Fox said while crossing his arms. "And just _what_ am I planning to do? C'mon, tell me."

In that moment, Wolf glared straight into the vulpine's eyes, and told him.

"You want me to believe you're gonna try to save me?! After I just signed your death warrant?! _Ha!_ Keep trying!"

Fox became speechless after he said that, his mouth agape.

"I _know_ you! And I _know_ that even you is not that stupid. You hate me, don't you? _You have no reason to help me!_ "

No amount of words would describe how much rage Fox was feeling right now.

He wanted to step forward, punch Wolf in the face, and kick him in the chest until all his wounds would cut open again.

But most of all, he was at rage with _himself_. The lupine had a point there, why was he even doing this?

Regardless, he still had to earn his trust if he wanted to get out of there.

So once more, he crouched down and started to vent.

"Look, I don't know what the fuck you think of me, nor do I care about it, but let me just tell you one thing: I _despise_ traitors. And the only reason you're alive now is because I didn't have the guts to shoot you in the back when I had the chance."

Wolf grunted and looked away while Fox went on.

"I don't like saying this, but I _need_ you, okay? You were there when they shot me down, you know I can't stand against all these assholes all by myself!"

" _I knew it!_ That's what you need me for, a decoy; You just fly away while they chase me. Sounds fair, huh?! You fucking coward!"

Fox chuckled at the accusation.

"If they're gonna chase me or you, that's on them; I don't have anything to do about it. I know it's risky, but that might be the only chance one of us has to escape this shithole."

"Hmph... And how do I know you're not gonna shoot my ship just to slow me down?"

Frowning, the vulpine gritted his teeth and growled at him.

"Because unlike you, _I have a fucking conscience!_ "

_Stick to the plan, Fox... Don't lose your cool now..._

"Now, you can either stop being an asshole, _just this once_ , and let me help you; Or you can stay here and wait until they kill you in the most ugly manner they can find."

He crossed his arms again, and asked him.

"So... what is it gonna be?"

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_This chapter was supposed to be a bit longer, but I felt the need to stop here._

_Why? Well... It's because the part right after this contains a bit of homoerotic subtext._

_What? I did tell you it'd get much better. *Laughs like an Ojou*_

_If you're a fan of this story and somehow has been reading this train-wreck not for the shipping,_

_I strongly suggest you to skip the next chapter, specially if you're not comfortable with this sort of thing._

_I'll be uploading both chapters at once, so with that said, you've been warned!_


	16. When Worlds Collide - Part 2

**DISCLAIMER:**

_This chapter contains scenes of homoerotic nature._

_Please, feel free to skip it if you don't feel comfortable with it._

* * *

" _Stay put, dammit!_ "

Fox yelled while he tried the clean off the blood, making Wolf hiss in pain and push his arm away.

As soon as the lupine put his shirt off, Fox could see all wounds had opened again from the previous confrontation.

Wolf was growing increasingly annoyed with having his body hurt for nothing.

The next time Fox tried to use his scarf, Wolf threw it away from him.

"You're just wasting your time. Get the hell outta here before they find out I'm missing!"

"I told you, I'm not leaving you behind!"

Though, he did start considering it.

That was yet another point the lupine had, it was getting hopeless.

No matter how many times Fox would try to clean his blood off with his scarf, his wounds just wouldn't stop bleeding.

Unless he could find a good hemostat for the lupine, Wolf was in no condition to battle, much less be of help to him.

Still, Fox wanted to save him. ' _Why?!_ ' He repeatedly asked himself.

Suddenly, a thought struck the vulpine's mind.

It made him cringe in disgust, but right now, it was all he could think of.

Swallowing down hard, he looked at Wolf with pleading eyes and told him.

"C-Close your eyes... Erm... your eye."

"What for?"

"Just... close it, and don't you _dare_ open it until I tell you to!"

Wolf looked at the way Fox was staring at him.

It was confusing, sure, but in no way did he look like he was going to hurt him.

With that in mind, the lupine closed his single eye and waited for the next command.

Before long, he could feel a soft, wet object being rubbed against the wound next to his stomach over and over again.

It didn't sting as horribly as when Fox used the scarf, so Wolf just let out a few grunts whenever it came.

The feeling was oddly comforting, and the lupine could feel himself getting better by the minute.

Though, one thing wouldn't leave his mind... _What was it_ that Fox was using on him?

He tried to keep his eyes closed, but curiosity won in the end.

Peeking out of his eye down to his chest, Wolf witnessed the unimaginable.

Fox had his head bent down to his stomach... _he was licking him._

" _Gah! What the fuck!_ " He shouted while pushing the vulpine away. " _Just what are you trying to do, you sicko'?!_ "

In response, the vulpine spat and wiped off the blood from his mouth, then pointed his finger back at Wolf's stomach. "Look!"

The lupine's eye traveled back to his chest, and when it caught the wound Fox was licking earlier, he realized it had stopped bleeding.

Shocked out of his wits, he stared back at the vulpine, who looked just as weirded out.

"H-Hey... Don't look at me like that. I'm not enjoying this either!"

Fox then stretched out his left arm and started rubbing it awkwardly with his hand.

"Though, I don't know how _else_ I can patch you up. You're gonna have to let me do this..."

Fox slowly walked back to Wolf, who was still paralyzed and watching him get closer.

Crouching down and leaning his head against his stomach, Fox looked at him and asked.

"I-I'm gonna do it again... Do you have any problem?"

Wolf didn't respond, blinking his eye a few times before Fox started licking his wounds again.

Some moments later, the vulpine noticed Wolf still staring at him with the same expression as before.

" _I can't do it if you keep looking at me like that!_ "

The lupine instantly recognized his words and shut his eye closed.

Then, he rested his head against the wall and aimed his sight toward the ceiling.

Once Fox was reassured he wasn't looking, he went back to licking his wounds clean.

Surprisingly, Wolf made no protest at all. Just let a few, small grunts of discomfort escape when he'd feel the touch.

It went on like that for quite some time, and once Fox was done, he took off his jacket and started tearing it apart.

Using the torn pieces of cloth as an improvised bandage, he started wrapping it around the lupine's waist.

As soon as he was finished with the lower chest, he repeated the same process with the upper one, and then the arms.

Once everything was done, Fox backed off in a rush, spitting out as much as he could and wiping his mouth off Wolf's blood.

He took a moment to analyze his handiwork, and smiled softly.

Wolf wasn't even glaring at him anymore.

"There... all patched up!"

He walked back to the wall and had taken a seat beside the lupine, sighing in relief and resting his head down.

Wolf looked at him for a moment, and asked.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm waiting 'til you get better, so we can get the hell outta' here."

He picked one of the guns off the ground and threw it to him.

"Take it, these bastards are gonna show up any time now."

The vulpine then went back to his original position, resting along with him.

Wolf had a million questions floating around his head, though he didn't dare to ask any of them.

It really seemed like they would be doing this together, after all.

Moments later, he felt a sharp pain coming from his thighs.

_Well... can't leave a job only half done..._

"Hey, Fox!"

"What...?"

The vulpine mumbled.

"...My legs hurt."

"Yeah? So wha-"

Fox suddenly realized what he meant with that and quickly swung his head to look at him.

" _Nuh-uh! No fucking way! I'm not doing that!_ "

"We're in this together, right?"

The vulpine didn't even have a chance to answer.

Wolf was already getting up and unbuttoning his pants.

He hissed in pain upon supporting his feet against the ground.

"So stop being a pussy and get to it!"

Fox watched as the lupine's pants fell down, being exposed to practically 90% of Wolf's naked body.

He cringed in disgust again, much more than before he started it.

_I hate me... I hate me so fucking much right now..._

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_There it is, the chapter I was talking about it._

_Sorry if it wasn't much for you shipping horn-dogs, but despite this, I'm still trying to take this story seriously._

_I don't think there's gonna be another scene like this until this fic is over._

_When it is, I'll make a sequel dedicated only for the shipping, so you can feel satisfied._

_Until then, this story will be exclusively for the character development and the plot._


	17. Before the Storm

The two canines sat down in complete silence, not daring to talk about what just happened earlier.

Fox tried to avoid Wolf's gaze by laying his head down the whole time while the other canine watched him intently.

Wolf still had too much to ask, but it wasn't like past would just cease to exist if he did.

Would he even get an honest answer? He feared not, so keeping it to himself seemed like the ideal course of action.

He watched that vulpine ignoring him, chest going up and down as he saved his strength for the big moment.

_I'll wait 'til you get better, so we can get the hell outta' here..._

"Fox?"

As if by magic, Wolf's mouth moved by itself. He jumped back and hoped the other hadn't heard him.

"...What?"

Fox mumbled back.

Wolf cursed under his breath and tried to find something to say, picking the very first thing that came up from his mind.

"The wound-licking thing... Why did you do it?"

It only made him curse again, he wanted to sew his mouth shut after saying it, but it was too late for that.

Fox took quite a moment to reply, and just mumbled again.

"I don't know."

"Huh?! What do you mean you don't know?!"

The same curiosity kicked right back in, and just as it did, Fox snapped and finally returned the stare.

" _I just don't, okay?!_ "

"I thought you hated me."

"Oh, you better believe me, I still do."

" _Then why, dammit?!_ "

It was Wolf's turn to snap, he's never been so confused before.

How could Fox _not_ know why he just tried to help someone he said he despised?

The vulpine didn't respond, he went back to ignoring Wolf while laying his head down.

Wolf was getting angrier and angrier with his silence, thoughts traveling back to the assumption the vulpine was trying to fool him.

He felt the urge to hang him by the neck and make him spill everything out. But before he could do it...

"...I can't help it."

"Hm?"

He heard Fox mumbling back those words, unsure what they meant.

Wanting more, he was about to try and ask for him to elaborate, but it wasn't needed.

"Sometimes, I get the urge to help people in need, even if they're the biggest assholes I've ever met... You know Falco?"

"You mean the bird?"

"Yeah... He was a gang member before I met him. One day, we were sent to deal with him and he suffered a pretty bad crash."

Fox paused for a moment to sigh.

"I felt bad for him, so I took him aboard, patched him up, we got to know each other a little better... And that's how he joined Star Fox."

"Really, now?"

"I still don't know if I did the right thing, though. The guy's a complete douche; He keeps flying in front of me, then accusing me of shooting him on purpose; Then he flies straight for the enemy, gets himself in trouble, calls for help, then tells me to fuck off when we do help him; And then there's-"

The vulpine interrupted himself once he could see Wolf paying very close attention to each single detail he was trying to say.

_Dammit, now I just revealed me and my team's weaknesses to this bastard... Way to go, jackass!_

Fox slapped his temple and said. "Ugh! I'm rambling, I'll stop."

"Right..." Wolf said before laying back against his spot. "You think we can make it?"

"No... I think anything's better than waiting to die down here."

He replied rather bluntly. Just remembering something, Fox added shortly after.

"And speaking of waiting... Where the hell are they?!"

* * *

Andrew tapped his fingers on the operating table, waiting for the guards he'd sent to return.

His patience was two seconds away from wearing out, and as soon as it did, he stormed off the room.

Once he creaked the door open, he realized the effects of waiting in a soundproof environment.

Outside, the whole place was in chaos; Soldiers running everywhere, sirens playing loudly, and the electronic voice of a lady repeating.

"Base under attack... Base under attack... All units move to their designated positions. Repeat."

_The fuck is going on?_ Andrew thought.

He walked through the lengthy corridors, pushing soldier over soldier, until he saw a familiar face.

" _Leon!_ " Shouting had no effect, his voice quickly became lost under the noise of the crowd.

Pushing more of his own people aside, Andrew increased his pace and ran over to the chameleon.

Once he got there, he pulled him back by the shoulder, something Leon reacted by aiming his blaster at the ape's face.

Andrew quickly raised his arms in defense and shouted. "Relax, Leon, it's me!"

Leon glared at him and holstered his gun "Should've said so."

The ape took a sigh of relief as both started to walk in the same direction.

"The hell's going on? I've never seen this place like this before."

"Our sensors have detected a large attack fleet coming straight at us."

"For real? How large?"

"Large enough that Andross ordered everyone and their mother to defend this place."

" _Why didn't anyone tell me?!_ " Andrew excitedly screamed. "C'mon, Leon. Let's go!"

Before he could give another step, Leon had put his arm in front of him.

"Sorry, Andrew. The emperor wants you to step down this time."

"What?" The ape said, feeling his heart sink. "B-b-but... But why?"

"It'll be better that way. After all, he wants you to stay safe and sound here."

Said Leon with a grin, turning away from him.

"Now be a good boy and stay out of our way for once, will ya?"

Andrew stood in his place with his jaw open, watching Leon disappear as many other soldiers rushed past him.

_No... this can't be..._

* * *

"Hey, Fox."

"What is it, now?!"

The vulpine snarled, starting to get annoyed at how many times Wolf had called him that hour for idle talk.

"...I'm hungry."

"You are?" Fox asked, chuckling. "And just _what_ do you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Maybe get off my sights and come back with food like you always did?"

"Yeah, sure. We're not in the Great Fox right now, so ain't gonna happen."

In that moment, Fox's ears twitched and captured a faint noise in the distance.

"Didn't hurt to try, you kn-"

"Shh!"

"Huh? What is i-"

" _Shh!_ " Fox put his arm in front of the lupine, then whispered. "I think I heard something."

Wolf tried to remain silent and looked around, trying to listen to his surroundings.

"I don't hear anything."

Right after, Fox's ears twitched once more, capturing the same sound another time.

The vulpine readied his weapon and started to get up, only to get his wrist grabbed by Wolf.

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

"I heard it again... I'm going there to check what it is. Stay here, rest, and don't let your guard down!"

He ordered before turning away and trying to move, only to have Wolf yank him back with more persistence.

Fox got annoyed, and in one quick motion, swoop his arm away from the lupine's hands.

"I'm not leaving you, dammit; I'll just go over there and see what's going on. I'll be right back."

He whispered one last time and started running towards the opposite direction, leaving Wolf all by himself.

The lupine watched him go, sliding back against the wall to the ground, then looked around for something to distract him in the meantime.

A lone eye fixed on the corpse of his old comrade, Pigma Dengar, hanging lifeless in front of him.

Against every reason of his current condition, Wolf got up and walked up to the nearly skinless pig's body.

He'd taken a moment to analyze what had become of him, wondering if he'd been here since the very day they were defeated by Star Fox.

That would've been at least a month by now, right? He thought, not knowing how many days he'd spent on the Great Fox.

_Is that what would've happened to me had I returned to Andross?_

He thought, making a sharp contrast to the days he'd spent well fed in Fox's mother-ship.

Wolf leaned in, he brought his arm closer to inspect the pig's face.

He touched it, feeling his hand rub over the thin skin and the lack of flesh under.

Suddenly, the head moved and he'd heard a groan coming from the pig's throat.

Wolf backed off, retracting his hand and letting out a quick gasp. _Holy shit, he's alive!_

Pigma's pure yellow blank eyes soon opened up.

The pig's vision was completely distorted from the days he'd spent locked there.

However, he could still see a clear grey object moving in front of him.

He coughed up a few times, trying to speak over his sore throat.

"Wh-who's *cough cough* who's t-there...?"

Upon hearing the question, Wolf leaned in again.

Slowly, the lupine's hands rubbed over the pig's shoulders.

"Pigma, it's me. Wolf!"

His voice was comforting and gentle, earning a small happy laugh out of Pigma.

"Wolf? Buddy? Hahahaha... You came to rescue me, right?"

Just as he asked, Wolf brought his hands together at the pig's throat and squeezed hard, strangling him.

"No, you fucking asshole. I'm here to return you the favor!"

Wolf said sporting a large, psychotic grin.

"Wh-wh... what are you t-talking ab-bout?!"

Pigma asked with the little air he could muster, only to have Wolf squeeze harder.

"You know what I'm talking about. You had something to do with it, didn't you?!"

The pig didn't respond and started kicking his legs to get free.

Wolf then decided to apply even more pressure to the strangling.

"It-it was Andross! H-he t-told me to do it, I s-swear! S-said was gonna k-kill me if I didn't."

Pigma felt the grasp of Wolf loosening, air returning to his lungs as the lupine's hands moved away.

He was so relieved that he was going to be spared, lowering his head to look at his buddy.

But that'd be the last thing he'd see, the lupine's angered expression, growling incessantly with rage.

"W-Wolf...?"

Letting out a furious scream, Wolf brought his claws down the pig's gut.

Slashing him over and over again.

* * *

Fox ran towards that sound he'd heard moments ago, it was becoming clearer as he approached it.

At the same rhythm he got closer, he was starting to calm down, as he could already recognize what it could be.

He arrived at his destination and was relieved to know it was nothing, but the mere dripping of water.

Sighing in a bit of disappointment, he felt the need to explore the place more, find an escape route.

The vulpine continued to wander around the single direction dungeon, looking for the exit.

He'd found it not long after, but to his dismay, it was an electronic steel door protected with a numpad key code.

_Oh, that's just fucking great. Now how are we gonna get out of here?!_

His thoughts were interrupted with the sound of a high-pitched, broken scream echoing through the whole cave.

Assuming Wolf was in trouble, he quickly rushed back to his original location.

Once he got there, he realized the lupine wasn't in any danger at all.

Rather, he watched in horror as Wolf aggressively mauled every inch of Pigma's body.

A large pool of blood forming against the wall to under the lupine's feet.

Fox repeatedly started screaming for Wolf to stop, but he would just ignore him and continue with his fit of rage.

At one point, Fox had become desperate and jumped in front of Wolf's range and held his arm in place before it could connect to the pig's body.

His determination was strong, but the lupine's strength wouldn't be so easily subsided, and his claws approached very close to Fox's face.

Wolf, upon seeing the vulpine about to receive a strike in front of him, instinctively stopped his arm mid-air before it could cause any harm.

" _What the hell do you think you're doing?!_ "

Fox yelled while Wolf remained in a trance-like state watching him hold his wrist back.

He snapped out of it soon and quietly walked back to his spot in the wall, leaving Fox to analyze the remains of Pigma.

_That scream came from him... He was still alive?!_

"Wolf, why the fuck did you do this to him?! Have you lost your mind?!"

The lupine laid against the rocky wall and let himself slide to the ground.

"Why do you care? Don't you despise traitors or something?" He mumbled.

"That's not the point, you idiot! Can't you see you just wasted energy you could very well use out there?!"

Fox angrily explained to him.

Wolf then adjusted himself on the wall and hung his head down.

For a moment, the vulpine thought he wouldn't respond; But then, he said. "I'm sorry."

Such gesture immediately left Fox in a state of shock.

_Did... Did Wolf just say 'sorry'?!... To_ _ me _ _?!_

"Uh... what did you just say?!"

Fox moved closer and asked for him to repeat it.

"I said I'm sorry!" Wolf said while waving his hand around. "I'll be careful next time."

Fox looked at the lupine's expression and was unsuccessful at finding any signs of malice.

"Are you feeling alright, Wolf?!"

The lupine chuckled, then smiled looking back at him, challenging him.

"I don't know, do I look like I'm alright?"

_This is so damn weird..._ _ Now _ _he's scaring me._

Fox tried to avoid the lupine's stare and sat beside him in his own spot.

"No, I think the lack of blood is finally catching up with you."

"Who knows? Maybe it is."

There was a brief moment of silence between the two, but Wolf continued.

"Now that you've brought it up, when are we leaving again?"

The question had caught Fox off-guard and he hesitated to answer for a while.

"After you rest some more... maybe an hour or so from now."

"You're lying." Wolf said calmly, making Fox turn to him and ask.

"How do you know?!"

"It's pretty easy to tell when you do."

"Really?! How?!"

Wolf laughed softly, then answered.

"If I told you, you'd just find a way to hide it."

Fox started to get annoyed and delivered the bad news to him.

"Okay, fine; We're trapped here. Are you happy now?!"

"Not _happy_ per se, just glad you've told me the truth for once. Now, how do we get out of here?"

"The only exit's an electronic door at the end of the tunnel, and we can't get out without the password."

"So that means no matter what, we're still screwed?"

"Pretty much."

Fox finished, shaking his head with a sigh of disappointment.

Wolf noticed the vulpine's distressed state and tried to comfort him.

"Hey, heads up!" Fox then looked at him. "One of them is gonna try to open that door eventually, when that happens, we move."

"Yeah, but no one's shown up yet. What if they _know_ we're stuck in here and they're just waiting for us to starve to death?!"

The lupine looked affected by the question, but managed to answer.

"If it gets to that point, we shoot each other at the same time."

"...Right." The vulpine said weakly while looking away in sadness.

"And Fox?"

"Hm?" He looked back expectantly at Wolf.

"Before anything happens, I just want to say... I..."

Fox looked at him, eager for the answer. "...What?"

The lupine shook his head and sighed in defeat.

"Nevermind. Let's just get some rest, it's the best thing we can do now."

_More like the_ _only_ _thing we can do now._ Fox thought.

Wolf brought a knee close to his chest and supported an arm against it.

Slowly, he hung down his head and tried to drift off to sleep.

Fox, however, couldn't afford to do it. He kept both eyes fully open and ears stiffen up.

Anxiously waiting for a miracle to happen, or for the enemy to open that door.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Delayed update again, my apologies. Hope you had a great valentines day._

_I don't quite know if it was a good decision to write some stuff early here,_

_but I'm happy with how this chapter turned out nonetheless, despite being a bit short._


	18. Struggle - Part 1

"Entering Venom's atmosphere now!"

Bill commanded to his fleet, making the large flock of ships boost down towards the planet.

The carrier transporting Peppy opened its hatches and sent the tank falling to the ground, hovering upon landing.

Once settled down, the hare picked up the communicator and called his teammate.

"Slippy, come in. We're on Venom now, heading towards the base!"

"Right, I can see your location. When I tell you to, I want you to press the leftest button underneath the console."

"This one?" He took notice of a button with a transmission tower engraved on it. "What does it do?"

"It will capture all sorts of data waves sent by nearby machines and send it to me. According to my calculations, you should be in range in about ten minutes."

"Understood, let me know when I get there."

The vehicle crossed the deserts of Venom, with the company of a thousand ships following behind.

Uneventful moments passed, and when the time had come, the hare followed the instructions he'd be given.

A confirmation buzz was produced by the Landmaster console, though he was unsure what happened.

"Did you get it, Slippy?"

"Yes, I did. I'll send the data analysis in no time."

Peppy nodded with satisfaction. So far, everything had been going smoothly.

But a look at the horizon slowly started to change that, as clouds of pure black started forming before him.

It had taken a bit of time to realize a large flock of enemy ships were coming to attack them, getting everyone nervous from head to toe.

Even if defeated, Andross still packed quite the army of his own. For all they knew, it could be just as big as Bill's.

The canine witnessed the black swarm approaching and screamed into his comm channel.

" _Bulldog unit, cover the tank! Don't let any of them damage it!_ "

Meanwhile, somewhere else, a smug chameleon listened carefully to their chit-chat.

"Well, thanks for this helpful bit of information~!"

Leon said to himself from the cockpit of the ship he sitting on, the Arwing.

Unaware to both Peppy and Bill, the fighter was still able to receive communications feed from Cornerian allies.

Shutting the canopy locked, Leon initiated the preparations for take off and prepared himself for battle.

* * *

Fox was sleeping soundly against the rocky wall, groaning as he began to wake up.

Just as he did, he cursed himself for falling asleep in the first place.

To add insult to injury, he felt his stomach roar with hunger, forcing him to rub over his empty belly.

He started to wonder how long was he out, and how long it's been since they were locked down there.

Fox was going mad, he could feel it.

Each time he looked at their stolen guns, he became more tempted to end his suffering.

Slowly reaching for one of them, taking it and analyzing it, he started to blankly stare at its muzzle.

Moments passed, and Fox's eyes were fixed in that black hole as it pointed to his face.

He looked to his side, seeing Wolf's still asleep form.

The vulpine wondered if he should wake him up and go through with the idea of killing each other.

Fox thought about it over and over again, ultimately deciding it was for the best.

He reached for him, trying to nudge him awake, but in that moment, something stopped him.

A deep voice calling his name.

" _Fox..._ "

He jumped back and looked to the side, then the other one.

Nobody to be seen, he and Wolf were really the only people alive down there.

Then who called him? Fox could swear he'd heard someone calling for him.

Unusually, however, his ears didn't flinch; As if the sound came straight off his imagination.

Fox returned the stare to Wolf, watching his every move.

Maybe the lupine was playing a prank?

Or he could be talking in his sleep, though Fox didn't recall seeing his lips moving.

Just then, that same voice called him once again.

" _Fox..._ "

He looked closely at Wolf's lips, and just as he thought, they didn't flinch at all.

That voice didn't come from him, and now that he heard it again, it became more recognizable.

It was deep, but still gentle and caring, one he used to hear during his childhood.

"F... Father?"

Fox looked up and down, trying to locate the source of it, but there was nothing.

" _Don't give up, my son. Your friends are coming to help you._ "

Just like before, his ears couldn't capture anything, that voice came from absolutely nowhere.

"Dad, where are you?... Is it... is it really you talking to me right now?"

A short while passed and the voice vanished, there was no answer to his question.

The usual silence of the cave and Wolf's breathing were the only things audible to him.

He looked down to his hands once more, still holding that same weapon pointed at his face.

_I gotta' get out of here... I'm going insane._

* * *

A ship blew after another in the sky, both armies battling with all their might above the ocean.

Bill commanded the Husky unit to attack in the front lines along with him, leaving space for Peppy to go through.

Suddenly, a soldier from the Bulldog unit called for backup.

"Sir, one of the ships from Star Fox are trying to attack our fleet!"

"What do you mean?! Star Fox doesn't have any more ships left!"

"They're going for the tank! I don't think we can hold on for much long- _Ahhhhhh ! ! !_ "

An explosion, followed by static, could be heard at the other end of the line.

Bill felt unable to do anything, then immediately darted towards the opposite direction where the Landmaster was located.

Once he arrived, he was shocked frozen to see his fleet being decimated by what could only be described as an Arwing.

He hesitated to shoot at first, but refused to let any more of his men suffer from this.

_Whoever you are, you're up to no good._ He thought, firmly grabbing his controls.

" _Go pick on someone your own size, freak!_ "

Bill shouted into the comm while delivering a series of blasts to the Arwing.

The message arrived at Leon's ship just as he felt it shake from the impact, he then looked at the sender and smirked.

"Well, if it isn't the commander of this worthless army." He said, chuckling. "I hope you're more fun than these insects you call a fleet."

"Wait a minute, I know you." Bill stated blandly against the comm. " _You're Leon Powalski from Star Wolf!_ "

Just as he finished, the lizard's ship performed a U-Turn and fired all its firepower at Bill.

The canine reflected the blasts with a barrel roll, quickly noticing how the ship was coming to ram him over and dodging it with a somersault.

Bill was very much aware of Leon's personality. He knew that as soon as he came back, he'd try to take him down personally.

Using this to his advantage, he started distancing himself from the battlefield in order to keep his men and the Landmaster safe.

Leon flew his ship to the side until it was back on track and followed suit, firing relentlessly on every chance at Bill.

The other ship expertly reflected every shot thrown at him, boosting forward as much as it could.

Once Bill thought he was far away enough from the others, he slammed his feet on the brakes, halting the ship abruptly.

The Arwing flew past by him like a wind blow, and just as it did, Bill boosted his ship forward once more.

The canine smirked and locked on the enemy ship, firing a large amount of charged shots at an incredible rate.

Leon was taken by surprise, but quickly came up with an evasive maneuver.

Moving left and right and spinning his ship with sharp precision, all charges dissipated in the air before they could hit the target.

Annoyed by this, Bill quickly changed his strategy to firing the usual non-charged laser blasts.

In stark comparison, the interval between each shot was almost non-existent, to the point it seemed like a crescent beam.

The Arwing's wing was exposed to it, making its tip explode and sucking a good portion of the ship's shields.

Leon evaded further exposure by rapidly spinning the ship around and floating it around the air in a circular motion.

Bill tried his best to connect the shots to the Arwing, but Leon was making it impossible.

In a sudden move, the ship turned around to face Bill's while still maintaining its evasive course.

" _What the-?!_ "

The canine couldn't finish the sentence as the enemy ship fired many shots directed straight at his own's nose.

Almost instantly, his shield's power was decreased by half and he was forced to cease the incessant fire to dodge.

Bill performed a barrel roll and ducked under the Arwing, boosting forward to escape its firing range.

A short while later, Leon's ship came down in front of it and stopped, floating idly in mid-air, forcing Bill to do the same.

"Not bad, you actually made me bat my eyes." The chameleon joked over the comm. "But unfortunately, this has to end."

"Hmph. Is that so?" Bill chuckled as he answered. "Then bring it, you stupid fly-eater!"

And just like that, both ships engaged in combat once more.

* * *

Somewhere deep inside Andross's base, Andrew sat in his room.

He was slightly depressed, resting a hand over his face while twirling a cup of coffee with a straw.

His mind was completely clouded with assumptions to one single question, why did Andross ask for him to step off?

Was it because his uncle cared for him and thought this time was way too dangerous, or was it because he didn't believe on him?

As much as he hated Wolf and what he planned to do, he started to see more truth to his words than before.

_You're a fucking joke. It's a miracle your uncle hasn't killed you yet! I bet he's praying you get shot down right now, the old bastard!_

Andrew held his temples firmly and tried to get the thought out of his mind.

His uncle couldn't think that about him... Could he? That didn't make sense.

If Andross hated him so much, then why did he ask for him to stay safe?

At the same time, a new assumption struck him like lightning.

Once more, Wolf's words echoed through his mind with much truth behind them.

_You were a burden placed on my team, and we were your babysitters!_

Could this be it? Was he really so bad that all he did was ruin everything for everyone?!

He could remember vividly the look of immense glee on Leon's face when he was told to keep away from the battlefield.

_Now be a good boy and stay out of our way for once, will ya?_

The monkey's fists shook with anger, and he slammed both of them on top of the table, spilling his drink to the ground.

_Bastards! I'll show you... I'll show all of you!_ _  
_

Andrew stormed off the room, sprinting through the nearly empty hallways as a few tears dropped from his eyes.

_Watch me, uncle Andross! This time, I'm gonna make you proud!_

* * *

Back in the surface of Venom, the Landmaster was close to approaching the edges of a cliff.

Peppy was beginning to get nervous. By that point, Slippy should've brought him the data analysis already.

The engines started slowing down until the tank was standing on the tip of the rocky mountain above the seashore.

Frustrated, he grabbed the communicator and yelled at it.

" _Slippy, what's taking you so long?! Hurry up!_ "

"I'm sorry, Peppy. But I can't find him!"

" _What do you mean you can't find him?! Can't you analyze the base or something?!_ "

"No, no, the analysis is here. The problem is, Peppy, that there's no place here where they might've taken Fox!"

As soon as he heard that, Peppy felt as if an arrow had pierced straight through his body.

Feeling nauseated, his heart beat accelerated as he felt a sharp pain traverse through his chest.

He grabbed the area of his chest that pointed to his heart and squeezed it firmly, trying to alleviate it.

This couldn't be possible, he thought; All they were fighting for turned out to be completely pointless!

At best, Fox is hidden somewhere else in another base. At worst, Andross has no place for prisoners and he's been disposed of.

The hare felt like his eyes were about to cry, all hope suddenly gone.

But that's when he remembered a familiar voice utter a few words of encouragement.

_Never give up, trust your instincts!_

That voice... the illusion of his old partner's voice started to remind him of _why_ they were called _Star Fox_.

Willing to take the risk, hope bounced straight back to him and he felt reinvigorated.

He grabbed the controls tight and stomped hard on the booster.

In one quick motion, the Landmaster's wheels started spinning and the tank flew off the cliff into the ocean below.

Turning around and meeting with the secret gate that he saw in the simulations, Peppy opened fire and quickly destroyed the alloy.

He hovered forward into the entrance and boosted his way through the lengthy tunnels, blasting at whatever obstacle that dared come into his view.

" _Peppy, have you gone nuts?! I just told you he isn't inside there!_ "

Slippy's distraught voice could be heard screaming in the comm channel.

"And I say he's inside there, and I'm gonna find him even if I have to turn this whole place upside down!"

Peppy answered back while the tank started emerging from the water, thankfully not all affected by the acid surrounding it.

Minutes later, the hare found himself staring at a large, empty hangar; With only very few ships docked in the corners.

"So, Slippy. Are you helping me out here or not?"

The toad heard him say and sighed with disappointment.

"I guess I have to if I wanna see you alive again."

"That's the spirit!" The hare exclaimed. "Now, where should I go first?"

"Let's start with the top floor first, I'll warn you if I spot any enemies ahead."

"Roger that!"

Finishing the transmission, Peppy opened the Landmaster's hatch and jumped outside.

Bearing all weaponry he's brought with him, he cocks his machine-gun and rushes to save his young leader.

_Just hang in there, Fox. We're coming for ya!_

* * *

Back in the air, the fight was becoming restless for Bill just as he dodged another blast.

He'd managed to score a few hits against Leon, and the same could be said against him.

But in stark contrast to the Arwing's power and resistance, the few shots he did land in the ship merely made tickles.

His shields were now reduced to 15% only, just a few more hits and it was going to be all over for him.

Bill was forced to remain on the defensive, being extra careful to dodge Leon's every move while firing when he had the chance.

Another shot was directed at him and Bill countered with a somersault, landing a few extra hits on the way down against the chameleon.

"Impressive... but I'd like to see you try to avoid _this_."

As soon as Bill's ship regained its composure from the stunt, Leon was nowhere to be seen.

He floated in place, looking around his surroundings and checking the radar once in a while, only to find nothing.

"It's true what they say about chameleons... They can turn invisible at the blink of an eye."

Bill said aloud to himself, still searching for Leon's whereabouts.

His attention then came crushing down on the radar, as it started beeping while a red dot approached his position.

The canine panicked once he realized just what Leon had done, he locked on his ship and released a smart bomb against him.

He knew about the smart bombs equipped into the Arwings, their destruction range was immensely powerful.

Likewise, he knew that if you avoided them for long enough, they'd explode in mid-air.

But even so, Bill was afraid he wouldn't be able to pull that out as the bomb was approaching fast.

Using all the remaining power he had to boost away, Bill tried to find a place to hide for cover.

No mountains in sight, the area around him was a complete barren wasteland filled with rocks.

He stomped on the boosters harder, praying that the bomb would explode before it could hit him.

The red dot started beeped with more and more frequency, and that was enough to drive him over the edge.

Bill closed his eyes shut tight and braced himself for the inevitable impact, until he was hit with a streak of luck.

Just then, he heard a few shots being fired against his ship, but from another direction.

He reacted fast and came up with a way to save himself, reflecting the plasma blasts straight into the smart bomb with a barrel roll.

He pulled the move out, and much to his relief, it worked!

The bomb exploded behind him and fortunately, didn't have enough range to affect his ship.

" _WHAT?! HOW WAS THIS POSSIBLE?!_ "

Leon yelled as he slammed his fists on the console, the sound of agony and explosion he hoped for didn't come.

He took a closer look at the horizon and noticed a blue figure approaching, he soon recognized it as another Arwing.

Now it all made sense. _Andrew fucking helped him!_ He thought.

" _ANDREW, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF MY WAY!_ "

"Go to hell, Leon! This is _my_ turf and I'm gonna defend it! _You stay out of my way!_ "

Leon was about to yell back, but was cut short as his ship shook violently and his power decreased at an alarming rate.

Before he could even realize what was going on, the critical alarm was triggered and his shields were as low as 20%.

He looked out the cockpit, seeing Bill approach the ship, shooting at him with that same impossible speed as before.

The Arwing desperately moved out of the beam's way, and the chameleon turned to check on the power gauge once more... 10%.

Leon felt like an idiot giving that dog an opportunity to attack him, but felt even more enraged knowing it was all Andrew's fault.

_You know what, Andrew? Fine. You can have him!_

All of the Arwing's power was then redirected to the boosters, and Leon quickly fled the scene.

He felt like a coward having to retreat, but found some relief in the thought Andrew wouldn't survive the battle.

And just like that, he abandoned the monkey to his fate.

* * *

"Okay... let's try this one."

For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Fox inputted a random number into the numpad.

He refused to stay in the same spot forever, waiting to go mad and die from starvation.

His stomach rumbled once more, and he prayed the next try would be the right one.

1... 4... 0... 8... Enter ... ... ... ... ... _Wrong Password!_

The vulpine grunted in anger, then took a deep breath, and told himself.

"Alright then, maybe this one will work?" Once again, he came up with a random number.

This time, he inputted the number '2206' into the console, and received the same old infuriating error buzz.

" _Oh, c'mon!_ " He shouted. "There _has_ to be something I can think of."

He thought for a second, and came up with yet another number.

'3555' ... This _has_ to be the password!

He thought as he typed the number into the console.

The confirm button was pressed, and the console was taking quite a bit of time processing it.

It was taking longer than before.

Fox smiled and took this as a sign that the password was going to work. But then...

_*BUZZ!* Wrong Password!_

The vulpine clenched his teeth in fury and unholstered his gun. " _You know what?! Screw this shit!_ "

He took a few steps back, aimed his weapon straight at the console, and fired a kill shot.

The numpad sparked several times, its screen started fading out to grey, and soon enough, it was dead.

Fox looked expectantly at the door, hoping that this would be able to unlock it, only to have all his hope crushed.

He did the dumbest thing he could've done, destroying their only means of escaping.

His knees felt weak, and he fell on all fours to the ground in sadness.

_It's useless... We're never getting out of here... Never!_

Suddenly, his ears captured a faint, muffled sound coming from behind the door.

As soon as he realized it, he shot up and approached the steel, placing the side of his head against it.

On the other side of that door, he could hear some sort of alarm play with a mechanic voice repeating itself.

"Warning! Warning! Prisoner attempting to escape! All personnel proceed to the bottom floor immediately!"

Fox's spirits immediately brightened up, and he began to laugh softly in his newfound relief.

_Ahahahahaha! Now, that oughta' catch someone's attention!_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the top floor.

Peppy leaned against the wall, a group of three soldiers having spotted him shooting against it.

Once he was able to catch a break, he rolled out of his cover and gave a clear shot to all three.

Standing up, the hare sprinted forward, moving past their dead bodies, and opened the door to the next room.

Much to his disappointment, it was an operations meeting room and Fox wasn't there.

He shut the door and continued his search for the vulpine, running through the base and checking every room he could.

As he passed through a number of hallways, a few compartments on the walls and the roof suddenly started transforming.

These compartments were shaping themselves into guns, and they aimed straight at him once complete.

Peppy dodged the blasts and wasted no time in destroying all of them, and as he found more, he could destroy them even before they finished transforming.

Another row of obstacles later, his communicator rang and Slippy's voice shouted at him.

" _Peppy, watch out! Large group of enemies incoming! Hide in the next door to your right!_ "

The hare obeyed and quickly found himself hidden away in a utilities room with no surveillance equipment around.

He stood against the door, blocking it, and nervously listening to the movement on the other side.

Marching sounds could be heard increasing louder, passing from one ear to another, before fading out into silence.

A few moments passed and Peppy felt relieved, removing the sweat off the fur on his head with a single swipe.

Just then, an alarm sound started playing loudly, making him jump back scared and bang against the door.

"Warning! Warning! Prisoner attempting to escape! All personnel proceed to the bottom floor immediately!"

The fear slowly turned into joy, and the hare found himself laughing hysterically.

"Hey, Slippy. Can you heart that?" He said to his comm before waving the device in the air.

"Yeah, I can hear that. I can't believe it, Peppy; You were right!"

Peppy brought the device back to ear level again and asked.

"I know, my instincts _never_ betray me!" He stated proudly. "Now, will you tell me how the hell can I get down there?"

"I'm tracking down a small group of enemies heading to the bottom floor. If you follow them, maybe they'll lead you to Fox!"

"Perfect! Just tell me how to reach 'em!"

And so, Peppy followed the directions given to him by Slippy.

Soon finding the group of enemies the toad warned him about and following them stealthily.

Just a little closer, and he'll be reunited with his leader at last.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Remember when I said back on chapter 4 that I sucked at writing fight scenes?_

_I still do. Had a massive block trying to make something mildly interesting, and it still turned out to be crap._

_Had to compensate for my lack of creativity with a lot of sudden scene shifts, just so I could avoid writing it and follow through with the plot._

_..._

_By the way, here's something I learned about Farewell Beloved Falco when I read it a few days ago:_

_There's a part in it where Fox infiltrates a base and they hack the systems to track him down while he tries to rescue Slippy from a prison cell._

_I swear to God, I didn't know about it when I first wrote this thing. (If anything, I'm glad canon sucks just as much as my stories do.)_

_But anyhow, see you next time. I'll try to hurry up a bit and get to the mid-point of this story already._


	19. Struggle - Part 2

"You can have him!"

Leon stated as he prepared for take off.

" _Oh, like hell you will!_ "

Bill shouted angrily, placing himself behind the chameleon's ship and starting to tail it as both boosted away.

He kept shooting furiously at the retreating ship, trying in vain to take it down as Leon dodged his shot-made laser beam.

Andrew enviously watched from safe distance as Bill tailed Leon. The ape then thrust his ship downwards and placed himself in front of the chameleon.

The Cornerian pilot had to cease fire and make an evasive maneuver to avoid a collision, but then continued to chase the other Arwing.

He's got even more enraged as he could see Leon distancing himself further.

" _Hey, dog breath! Your opponent is me!_ "

Andrew told him, just as Bill had seen the chameleon's ship disappear into the horizon.

Suddenly, the green colored ship stopped. Now floating in mid-air, it slowly turned around to face Andrew's.

"You made me lose him..." The pilot said with his voice almost breaking down with anger. " _You're going down!_ "

His ship then darted forward and started to shoot.

The ape, while surprised, tried to shoot him down as well as both flew in crash course.

Andrew then performed a somersault to avoid the collision, and soon enough, Bill was on hot pursuit for him on his tail.

The canine relentlessly started shooting again, trying to take the enemy ship down.

Though the Arwing rolled, boosted, and performed every kind of maneuver to get rid of the ship behind him.

But it was pointless. No matter what it did, Andrew never managed to shake Bill off his tail and had to keep running.

More and more, his nerves started to build up as the chase continued.

* * *

In the deep underground of the Venomian base, two machine-guns aimed at the door.

Placed in opposite sides of the room, a fox and a wolf waited for the very moment that door would slide open.

The moment it'd happen, they'd give everything they had for a chance at earning their freedom.

Whether they died or lived to see another day, it didn't matter any more.

All that mattered to them was that they escape the madness they had gotten into.

Sounds of marching boots could be heard on the other side, getting louder and louder, until they stopped all at once.

Fox could hear, as faint as it was, the sound of buttons pressing on the numpad console from the hallway.

In that moment, the vulpine threw a glance at Wolf, looking for reassurance, and received a nod from the lupine.

Both focused their attention back on the door, their weapons readied and their fingers pressing tighter against the trigger.

It wasn't long before the numpad sounds also stopped, giving way to a confirmation buzz.

The sound finally reached Fox's ears, and with that, he commanded.

" _Now!_ "

Before the door could even open, both canines unleashed their firepower on the unsuspecting soldiers behind it.

Some shots connected to their legs and made them fall to the ground in pain, prompting either Fox or Wolf to finish them off.

Once the door was fully open, Fox and Wolf started aiming for the soldiers' heads on the doorway, taking them out one by one.

The apes and lizards on the other side tried their best to counter-attack, but found themselves trapped in a dilemma.

Their men were being shot the very moment they reached the door, blocking the way for anyone who'd try to get in and shoot at the prisoners.

Some of them lost their minds and shot through their own people, but unfortunately, none of their shots connected to neither captive.

Finally, In the midst of the intense battle, a heavy object came flying from the hallway and landed in the face of whoever was at the door at the time.

The soldier was knocked out by the hit, and everyone's focus shifted from shooting each other to taking a closer look at what happened.

Said object was round with an LED display at the center showing a countdown, and beeping at a faster rate each time it got closer to zero.

Wolf's eye shot wide open as he realized it was a grenade, and he quickly darted to the opposite direction, Fox following suit shortly after.

" _RUN ! ! !_ " The lupine shouted as the series of beeps were merged into one, continuous buzz.

The object generated a large explosion, sending all soldiers next to the doorway flying to their deaths.

In that moment, the wind resulting from the blast made both canines trip and sent them flying to the ground for cover.

Wolf got closer to Fox, wrapping an arm around his scruff as the heat washed over them and debris started falling everywhere.

They laid on their stomach against the cold floor, waiting until everything could settle down.

Once it did, the canines slowly got up on their fours.

Wolf slid his arm away from Fox's scruff into the vulpine's shoulder, checking on him.

"You alright?" He asked.

In response, the vulpine angrily pushed the comforting arm away and glared at him.

"Don't do that again!"

That's when both of them heard a familiar voice yelling from behind.

" _Hey, you!_ " They turned their heads around and met with an angry hare pointing his gun at Wolf. "Stay away from Fox, you piece of garbage!"

"Peppy?!" Fox said astonished, getting up on his knees and turning to face his teammate.

Wolf attempted to do the same, but the moment he did...

" _Don't move!_ " The hare yelled at him, cocking his gun and making Wolf freeze on the spot.

Fox watched as Peppy pointed his at Wolf. He stood up, walked up to the hare, and covered the bullet hole with his hand.

"Relax, Peppy. He's with us for now!"

Peppy then pushed Fox's arm out of the way and continued to point his gun at the lupine's forehead.

"No way. He's just gonna ruin everything up for us, I just know it!"

Fox tried to comfort his teammate, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to calm him down.

"Look, Peppy. I know he's an asshole-" Fox started, earning a look of incredulity out of Wolf. "-but he saved me. If it wasn't for him, you probably wouldn't even find us down here. We owe him this one!"

The hare then proceeded to do the opposite of relaxing, tightening his grip on the trigger.

Fox realized what was about to happen, so he quickly placed himself in front of Wolf; Stretching his arms out open and forming a living shield.

Peppy was made upset by the vulpine's reaction, easing his grip on the gun and retracting it just a little bit.

"Fox, what do you think you're doing?!"

"I told you, he's coming with us!" His leader answered. "If you're gonna kill him, you're gonna have to kill me first!"

Behind him, Wolf was taken a bit aback by that gesture of protection.

He soon got up on his feet and stood up tall behind Fox as the vulpine protected him from harm.

"Um... hate to get in the way of your little banter... But in case you've forgotten, _Andross is trying to kill us!_ "

The lupine stated rather bluntly.

Fox then looked back at his teammate with pleading eyes, begging him to have Wolf spared.

A short moment passed as Peppy looked into his young leader's eyes, ultimately withdrawing his gun.

"Fine. You win..."

The hare muttered in defeat, picking up his communicator and calling for the Great Fox.

"Slippy, come in. I've found him, now get us outta' here!"

A few seconds of silence later, it came down on him that there was only static on the other line.

Tapping the device a few times, the hare tried again.

"Slippy? Are you there?... _Slippy?!_ "

The other two quickly took note of how he was getting nervous for not being able to contact help.

Fox figured out what this meant for all of them and let out a grunt of annoyance.

"Oh, now that's just _perfect!_ " He shouted while looking at Peppy. "You don't know the way out of here, do you?"

His teammate looked back at him with a hint of sadness, and shook his head in confirmation.

It was then that Wolf placed himself in front of the vulpine, and grunted.

"Did you guys bring a ship? If you did, where is it?"

The hare glared at him for while and almost hesitated to respond.

"In the hangar, just like all the others here."

He answered quite sternly.

After he did, Wolf started walking past both of them.

"Follow me!" The lupine said as he reached the doorway.

Peppy stood in his place, not wanting to be under the enemy's command.

He then noticed Fox started to follow, and just as he walked past the hare, he grabbed his leader and stopped him.

"If only your father could see you right now, young man. You can't imagine what he'd say about you."

Fox heard him grumble, returning the displeased expression Peppy was giving him.

"Oh, really? Neither can you. After all, he's _dead_."

Both of them glared at each other for a few moments.

Suddenly, Wolf shouted at both to hurry up and follow if they wanted to leave.

They gave a final look at each other, before dashing forward and catching up with the lupine.

* * *

"Peppy?!"

The toad said, trying to reach him for about the tenth time.

"Come in, Peppy!"

Static was the only thing audible on his feed.

He then watched as the map simulation suddenly destabilized and shut down in front of him.

Frustrated, the Star Fox mechanic slammed his fists against the console.

"Dammit, they've spotted us!"

"We. Are now. Entering. Venom's. Atmosphere."

The golden robot companion in the bridge informed him.

Slippy was surprised to know they had managed to reach the planet so soon.

Regardless, he was glad he'd be able to rendezvous with his team in time.

From above, he watched as the clouds dissipated before him and gave way to the massive battle ensuing below.

Slippy began to scan the area with the main console in search for his team members.

Although he couldn't find any traces of them, one particular dogfight had caught his attention.

A lone Cornerian star fighter shooting wildly against a blue colored ship, both straying far away from the battlefield.

"Is that... _the Arwing?!_ "

The toad asked himself as he typed in the console a command to zoom-in the fight.

His suspicions turned out to be correct, as the new footage revealed the Star Fox logo imprinted in the ship's fins.

Meanwhile, Andrew was doing his best to get away from Bill's shooting range.

His shields had already lost over half of their power and he didn't manage to land a single hit on the canine's ship.

And just when the ape felt it couldn't get any worse, his comm feed proved him wrong.

"Hey, just who do you think you are to be piloting our ship?!"

To his surprise, it was the annoying Star Fox member he'd fought with a month earlier.

"Piss off, froggy! This aircraft now belongs to the forces of Andross!"

"I don't think so." Slippy replied shortly before ending the transmission.

Andrew was left wondering just what did he mean with that.

The answer came rather immediately, when he tried to avoid another of Bill's blasts.

Controls had suddenly become unresponsive, causing his ship to quake upon getting hit.

His eyes then widened upon seeing the joystick moving on its own.

_What the hell's going on?!_

Somewhere else in the middle of the desert, Leon watched the battle unfolding from outside of his cockpit.

Sporting a pair of binocular goggles, he eagerly waited for the moment Andrew was shot down, so he could finish what he started with Bill.

A strong wind then started blowing from behind him, and it didn't take long for Leon to realize the ship was taking off by itself.

The chameleon jumped out of the way, just before the ship boosted off into the horizon and abandoned him.

Andrew tried desperately to regain control of his Arwing, but nothing he tried had any effect.

Buttons didn't work, the joystick moved on its own, and he still had to deal with that stupid dog shooting him from behind.

Slippy then turned on the comm feed once again, and revealed the reason why.

"Sorry, monkey face. But this ship doesn't belong to Andross, or you!"

With a mere press of a button off-screen, the canopy had been unlocked on top of Andrew.

The Venomian soldier realized what was going to happen to him next and braced himself for the next time the toad pressed another button.

From behind, Bill watched as the ape had been ejected from his cockpit and was sent flying to the sky above.

"What the living fuck just happened?!"

Was all he could muster from the sudden act of withdrawal.

Before he could figure it out by himself, a figure had been dropped on top of his ship's canopy glass.

Bill jumped back on his chair and analyzed the figure further... it was Andrew, and he was _pissed_.

Immediately, the canine started to perform every sort of stunt to get rid of the ape.

"Get the hell off my ship!"

He tried rolling, tried to somersault, tried to boost to make him slip off.

But Andrew's grip was strong. True to a monkey's nature, he refused to let go.

The Cornerian commander, however, was getting increasingly impatient with his stubbornness.

"Fine then, you asked for it!"

Bill stated as he tilted his ship upwards and started elevating his altitude.

If that monkey wouldn't get off on his own, the only solution was to take him to space and suffocate him.

As the ship rose to the sky, Andrew started to support himself against the canopy and punch the glass.

Each punch drew blood on his fists, but he couldn't care less.

The crazed monkey then sported a psychotic grin once the glass finally started to crack.

With one last punch, it had been shattered completely and Bill saw himself forced to lower the altitude.

As he did, Andrew grabbed him by the jacket of his uniform and brought him out of the cockpit.

He was ready to drop the dog out of the sky, but was stopped when a hook connected to his face.

Both pilots started to wrestle on top of the ship, leading each other to the center and standing between the wings.

They kept fighting, trying to throw the other one off balance by using only their fists.

None of them dared to kick the other one, afraid they'd give an opening and lose their balance.

Bill threw another hook at Andrew, who ducked the move and landed an uppercut on the canine's jaw.

The Cornerian soldier stepped back from the blow, standing really close to the ship's wing's tip.

He then tried to re-position himself, but before he could, Andrew pounced on him.

The canine grabbed both of his fists with each hand, and they once again began to wrestle.

Andrew to make Bill fall down, and Bill to retain his balance.

In that moment, Slippy's voice came ringing through his headset.

"Bill, quick. Jump down!"

" _What?!_ Are you nuts?! I'm trying to stay _alive_ here!"

The puzzled dog told him.

"Just trust me on this one, jump down. Nothing's gonna happen to you!"

He started to consider his friend's words, and soon enough, he complied.

But not before giving a final blow to Andrew, using his right leg to knee him in the stomach.

Upon doing so, Bill lost his balance and fell backwards as the ape knelt down in pain.

Shortly after being tossed to the skies, the canine felt himself land sitting in a cockpit chair.

His eyes then darted upwards as the canopy glass locked down shut.

Finally, his attention focused on the comm feed of an incoming transmission.

"See? I told you nothing was gonna happen!"

Slippy stated, giving him a wink and a thumbs up.

Bill smiled at his teammate and answered. "Nice."

It took him quite a while to realize he was sitting in an Arwing.

Once he did, the joystick had stopped moving and returned to its default position, prompting Bill to pilot the ship.

The canine grinned with satisfaction and took it in his hands, now flying back to where he and Andrew faced off.

Meanwhile, the ape struggled to stand up on the wing, trying to recover from the blow to his stomach.

That's when he heard the dog's former ship receive an incoming transmission.

"Hey, Oikinny. Can you hear me? _Take this!_ "

Andrew looked down, and was shocked to see an Arwing approaching with Bill in it.

" _Yeeeeee-haaaaaa!_ "

The blue colored ship locked on the fighter, followed by releasing a smart bomb at it.

Andrew then watched in utter fear as the red rounded shape started to advance in his direction.

A single tear falling off his eye as he knelt down in that ship's wing.

" _UNCLEEEE ANDROOOOSSSSSS ! ! !_ "

He cried one last time as a huge explosion engulfed the entire ship, taking him down with it.

All of it happening while from the distant ground, a chameleon watched with glee in his eyes.

The lizard started to chuckle, followed by a laugh that soon enough turned hysterical.

Leon stood laughing for a good portion of his time at Andrew's downfall.

Satisfied with the outcome, the ace pilot started to walked off into the wilderness.

Returning to his post with a smile on his face.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Yup, Andrew kicks the bucket._

_Let's end this chapter here and dedicate a minute of silence for him._


	20. Struggle - Part 3

"Fire in the hole!"

The old hare screamed, tossing a grenade to a number of unsuspecting enemies shooting at them.

Several were killed by the subsequent explosion, with the sole exception of two who tried to get back on their feet.

One of them, however, had their throat slashed shortly after, while the other one received a clear shot to the head.

" _Course clear, let's move!_ "

Wolf shouted ahead of both Fox and Peppy.

The Star Fox mercenaries trailed behind him, following the lupine's steps as their guide while serving as rear security.

Many of the compartments on the wall along the way would try to turn themselves into weapons, only for the two to destroy them.

All of the things they faced retained the same pattern as they kept running for the exit.

Another hallway of weapons... another flock of stairs... another endless flock of guards coming their way.

Every obstacle was taken care of with relative ease, but they knew this winning streak wouldn't last forever.

Eventually, the trio was able to make their way to the top floor.

Fox could finally recognize some of the areas they were running through, feeling the sensation of freedom each step closer.

But then, another sensation was felt by the vulpine as he kept recalling more.

An unpleasant memory had returned to him, the meeting with Andross he was forced to endure when he first arrived with Wolf.

There was absolutely _no way_ he'd let an opportunity like this pass. He was already free, so he'd give Andross what was coming to him.

Such was the case when the vulpine had ran past a set of double doors, making the Star Fox leader stop on his tracks.

With the urge for vengeance settled deep down in his thoughts, Fox kicked the doors open and readied his gun towards the room.

Much to his frustration, however, the meeting room from before was now completely empty.

He should've known Andross wouldn't be hiding in the same place, nor would he make things easy for him.

Curling into a fist, his hand slammed against the door frame, generating a loud *bang* sound.

It wasn't long before Peppy noticed his teammate's absence, with the sound only solidifying it.

The old hare stopped running and turned around to see Fox standing in place, facing an empty room for who-knows-what reason.

Everything seemed quiet, but then another sound filled the silence in the halls, and brought a great sense of dread for Peppy.

A compartment in the roof just above Fox was just finishing its transformation cycle, and it would shoot at any instant.

Peppy knew by the time he tried to actually destroy the weapon, Fox would already be bleeding to death on the floor.

With no other option, he darted towards the vulpine and jumped, pushing his body out of the way.

" _FOX ! ! !_ "

It was the last thing he heard before it hit him.

Fox felt his entire body paralyze as something pierced through him and started melting his insides.

The shock from the sheer amount of pain was enough to incapacitate every other sense he had.

His nervous system were screaming, his ears were ringing loudly, and his sights were a complete blurry mess.

Not hearing the previous sounds, Wolf finally did when he heard two bodies crashing against the floor.

Just as he turned around, he was quick to catch a roof compartment aiming at him and charging to shoot.

The lupine reacted fast by dodging the predicted shot and rolling forward on the ground.

He then got up on his knees and destroyed the weapon before it could finish charging for another blow.

Once the source of danger was gone, he focused on the sight of the two bodies before him.

First laying his eye on Fox, he could see the young man breathing heavily, with his eyes wide open staring at the ceiling and his chest completely stained with blood.

Terror had started to settle down in his mind as he rushed to the aid of the dying fox on the ground in front of him.

He knelt before the vulpine, carefully placing an arm around his scruff and lifting him up.

Checking on his body, he could see a small bullet hole penetrating his right shoulder.

"Fox?! Can you hear me, Fox?!"

"...P...Peppy... Pe...P-Peppy...!"

Hearing him utter those words, Wolf shifted his gaze towards the older man.

What he saw was nothing pretty; Eyelids closed... bullet hole next to the heart... no signs of life...

_Shit! Shit! SHIT!_

As if that wasn't bad enough, it got worse when Wolf could hear the marching sounds of enemies nearby.

The lupine then placed the other arm around Fox's legs and lifted him up completely, with Fox's body protesting by making him scream in agony.

"C'mon now, pup; Be strong. I'm getting you outta' here!"

Forced to leave the vulpine's teammate behind, Wolf darted towards the elevator with Fox occupying both of his arms.

That meant he had no means of defending himself, leaving him to pray there'd be nothing awaiting for them in the hangar.

Upon reaching the elevator, Wolf laid Fox on the ground, then pressed the floor button.

Immediately after, he took cover by laying against the wall while the elevator doors slowly closed.

As they were closing, several plasma blasts started flying through the gap.

Fortunately, none had hit neither of them; The doors finally closed, and the elevator started moving towards its destination.

Finally, Wolf could feel the adrenaline leaving his system, allowing himself to slide down the wall and sit on the ground to regain his breath.

He checked on Fox one more time, now noticing the pilot had drifted into full unconsciousness.

 _I have to cover that bullet wound somehow!_ He thought, pulling out his shirt.

Bit by bit, he had stripped Fox off his stained top clothing by using his claws.

Once that was done, he lowered his head towards the pilot's chest and started licking the area around the wound.

He rolled Fox upside down and started doing the same to the hole in his back, then rolling the pilot to lay on his side.

_This may not be the cleanest, but it's all I've got. Forgive me!_

Wolf then wrapped his own shirt around Fox's torso, improvising a bandage for him.

He barely noticed in the midst of his aid that the elevator had already reached its destination.

No guards were to be seen in the hangar, thankfully; Only a silver-blue colored tank with the Star Fox insignia.

_This is it, our way out of here!_

Without hesitation, Wolf picked Fox up in his arms once more and ran for the tank.

Moments later, all preparations for the escape were taken care of, one by one.

Finally, Wolf grabbed the joystick and stomped on the pedal;

Sending the Landmaster boosting off into the tunnel.

* * *

Back in the sky, there was no trace of his team to be seen.

It seemed like it's been ages since Slippy had made any contact with Peppy.

Any sort of communication request was now being likely jammed by the base.

And no matter how hard he looked, the Landmaster just wouldn't show up.

It was putting the poor, young toad in a state of melancholy.

"C'mon, Peppy. Just take Fox and come back... Please..."

Minute after minute, the only thing in his sights was the battle between the armies of Corneria and Venom.

Slippy was ready to lose all hope, but a transmission request apparently coming from the Landmaster would soon change that.

Buttons were mashed and the toad found himself happy again.

He eagerly waited for the static to stabilize, so he could finally be able to see again the face of...

" _Wolf?!_ " He worriedly screamed as the feed came in and he saw who was piloting the tank. "Where's Peppy?!"

On the other line, the lupine seemed more distressed than usual, and didn't quite know how to communicate back.

"Listen, frog... I need your help to get out of here!"

"No way!" Slippy shouted in response. "First, you tell me what happened to Peppy, then I _may_ help you!"

"Fox is here with me, look!"

He bent down, bringing the unconscious vulpine into the screen.

Might've not been his greatest idea, as the sight only served to make Slippy even more wary.

" _What the hell have you done to Fox?! Is he dead?!_ "

"No!" Wolf defensively shouted. "He's just passed out, I swear... But he _will_ die if you don't help me out here!"

"I don't understand. What do you want from me?!"

"I'm under Venom's sea right now, and this tank is beginning to corrode. I need you to get us out of here, _right now!_ "

Slippy didn't quite know how to react in that situation.

In one hand, he had to save Fox.

In the other, he was dealing with a man who's held him hostage and threatened to kill his team time and time again.

Besides that, what guarantee was there that he was telling the truth and Fox really was alive?

And worst of all, he _still_ didn't know what's happened to Peppy.

The toad tried to gather all of his nerves, and asked.

"Why should I trust you?!"

That was the question that could leave Wolf paralyzed.

Because he knew it, there was no way to make the other team trust him, given his history.

"So? Are you going to tell me?" Slippy asked one more time.

Seconds passed and Wolf remained speechless.

Nothing he'd say or do would satisfy the toad, would it?

He wouldn't make it... Neither would Fox...

Wolf was now hanging his head down, shivering.

Slippy caught on to this, and couldn't believe his own eyes.

It was so unreal, he didn't ever think he'd see _Wolf_ scared of something.

"Um... are you okay?" The toad asked, slightly concerned for the enemy.

"Look... It's alright if you don't trust me... Hell, it's alright if you even hate me, I can't blame you for that..."

Wolf started, his voice almost sounding like he was breaking down.

"But _please_ , don't let Fox pay for all the bad stuff I did... He doesn't deserve it!"

_Who IS that guy?! He can't be Wolf... Wolf would never act like this... Much less say these things..._

_Is he trying to manipulate me with emotional appeal or something?!_

As he thought about it, Wolf slammed his fists in the console, urging the toad to act.

" _Please, I beg of you! Don't leave Fox dying here just because of me!_ "

Slippy was in complete disbelief, he wasn't sure anymore of who he was speaking to.

With some hesitation left in him, the mechanic decided to save Fox, giving the other pilot what he needed.

"Press down on both pedals at once, the tank will start flying!"

Wolf looked back at him with renewed hope, and did what he was told to.

Soon, he felt the vehicle being pulled away from the water, starting to emerge to the surface.

In the sky, Slippy intently watched the ocean below, placing the Great Fox just high above the cliff.

Bubbles started forming in the water, and that's when the Landmaster had burst out of it.

Following that, the toad ordered R.O.B. to open the gates for the docking bay.

All around him, Wolf could see the forces of Corneria battling with Venom.

It was amazing, he thought. That's why they faced so many few people down in the base.

The sound of static had then taken him out of his thoughts, and he shifted his gaze towards the comm feed.

"Dock the tank on the Great Fox, hurry!"

He looked up, seeing the mother-ship approach and its gates opening up to accept him.

The Landmaster started to hover until it could enter the bay.

Wolf docked the vehicle, soon opening its hatch and emerging out of it.

Instantly, all eyes were fixed on him.

Several mechanics who were brought to help fix the Great Fox watched in shock as the lupine pulled Fox McCloud himself out of it.

But weren't they rivals trying to off each other? That was the general line of thought surrounding the area.

Just then, another Star Fox member had run inside the room as well, adding to the confusion.

Slippy approached his wounded leader, now cradled in Wolf's arms, and checked on him to see if he was dead.

Not wasting any time, he instructed the rival leader to help him bring Fox to the medical bay, and he complied.

The others kept watching as the three of them ran off, not knowing what was happening between both teams.

Some of them picked up their communicators and decided to inform their commander about it.

"Sir, there's something you need to know..."

* * *

"Phamarthione!"

The toad screamed while Wolf trashed the shelves looking for the drug.

He wasn't sure what any of these things did, so he just left it in the care of the one treating Fox.

After looking at several recipients and failing to identify the medicine, he had finally found it.

Slippy then spread his arms out to fetch it as Wolf tossed the bottle to him.

The toad then motioned for him to come closer.

As Wolf walked towards the toad, he started pouring the liquid from the bottle over some sort of piece of cotton.

The lupine stood in front of him with a questioning look, and was told.

"Hold him down. This may or may not wake him up, but I don't wanna take any risks!"

His gaze shifted towards Fox, now laying against a life support bed with several plugs attached to his body.

Wolf walked to his side and held each of his arms down.

That was when Slippy started to fill up the bullet hole in his chest with the piece of cotton from before.

Fox's body didn't flinch, and Wolf couldn't decide whether this was a good or a bad sign.

"Okay, now hold him up a bit."

The toad commanded as he grabbed a bandage roll.

Wolf then lifted Fox's torso so he could sit straight, allowing Slippy to wrap the bandage around the wound.

Once everything was done, Fox was carefully placed back on the bed.

There was a short moment in which they stood in silence to contemplate the vulpine's condition.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Wolf asked.

"I don't know." Slippy sighed, falling back and sitting on a nearby chair. "He just might, though I'm not sure."

The toad explained as he returned to contemplate on Fox, his eyes now dwelling on his face.

Slippy then noticed something he didn't before, something on his leader's left cheeks.

Scratch marks... big ones.

"What is that?!" He exclaimed, raising up from his chair to take a closer look.

Wolf looked at the wound he was focusing on and decided to stay quiet, facing away in shame.

The Star Fox member then walked up to him and asked in a dreadful tone.

"Where's Peppy?! What happened to him?!"

Wolf looked down at the smaller man, with a pitiful look that meant all, but "I'm sorry."

The silence, along with the sheer expression that lupine was giving him, was enough for Slippy to realize what happened.

He felt his eyes beginning to tear up, then he started to whimper.

"No..."

The toad uttered in a shaken voice, falling down to his knees, and then on his fours.

" _NO ! ! !_ "

He screamed in anguish as he faced the ground.

Placing both arms in front of his eyes, Slippy started to sob right there and then, not even caring that he did it right in front of Wolf.

In contrast, while seeing him like that, Wolf could feel an unbearable amount of guilt surge within him.

He wanted to say something, he wanted to kneel down and comfort that man, but an unknown force confined him to stay watching.

When he finally managed to muster the courage to say something, several Cornerian hounds had barged inside the room.

Three of them had taken a hold of the lupine and brought him to the ground, restraining his hands behind his back.

" _Hey, what the fuck do you think you're doing!_ " Wolf protested.

"Shut the hell up, mutt! You're coming with us!"

A voice from behind him could be heard saying.

He could hair a pair of boots approaching; Circling around him, and finally coming into view.

Wolf looked up and figured out who was the one who ordered him to be kept like that.

It was none other than the commander of the Katina army, Bill Grey.

The other soldiers started to lift the Star Wolf leader up until he sat up on his knees.

Bill merely passed by him, ignoring his presence and moving to check on the others.

First kneeling down to the weeping Slippy, he asked the toad.

"Are you okay, buddy? What happened?"

"Peppy... he's..."

It was impossible for him to finish his sentence, so he just shook his head.

Bill narrowed his eyes and took the gesture for what it was, then stood up and walked up to Fox.

He caught the vulpine lying in a life support bed, with his chest bandaged and his face scratched.

After so much time not seeing each other, the sight of his friend in that condition... it was infuriating.

The canine walked back to Wolf and grit his teeth at the lupine.

" _What have you done to him?!_ " He spat, giving Wolf a hook in the stomach. " _Talk!_ "

The lupine gasped in pain from the blow, then tried to muster an answer.

"I didn't do anything, other than _saving_ his ass; You ungrateful fuck!"

" _Liar!_ " He thrown him another hook. "There's bloody scratch marks on his face, and you want me to believe you had _nothing_ to do with it?!"

It's true, Wolf did have something to do with _that_. But he couldn't admit it, not in this situation.

"If you don't believe me, then why don't you take a close look at my chest and see for yourself!"

Bill complied, analyzing further the 'bandages' around Wolf's torso, realizing they were actually torn pieces of Fox's jacket.

"You see those?! These were given me by Fox. Me and him were actually _helping_ each other, you imbecile!"

"Or better yet, you _stole_ it from him." The canine stated calmly in a as-a-matter-of-fact manner.

" _YOU'RE FULL OF SHIT ! ! !_ "

Wolf yelled at the Katinian commander, only to receive a punch in the face as a result.

"No, O'Donnell; _You're_ full of shit. You? Saving Fox? Keep dreaming." Bill grinned and leaned in close to glare at Wolf on eye level. "I can hardly wait to seeing you get executed."

"Executed?!" Slippy shouted from behind him. "Who said anything about execution?!"

"What? You don't know?" Bill said, chuckling. "This mutt here-" He pointed at Wolf. "-has been marked for execution since _two years ago_ by the Cornerian army."

"What...?" The toad muttered, looking at Wolf to see him facing the ground. "Peppy never told us about that."

"Well then, now you know." Bill smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now, if you excuse me, we have a delivery to make."

His men then started to prepare to leave, lifting Wolf up to stand on his feet and directing him towards the door.

"See ya around, Slippy!"

"Wait!" Slippy screamed, getting everyone's attention and making them stop. "I think Wolf should stay here."

_What did he just say?!_

Bill couldn't believe the toad when he spat those words.

Wolf staying with them? What for? Was it to rid him of the execution?

The mechanic then continued.

"This whole mess was Fox's idea. I think we should wait for him to get better, so he can clear things up first."

"Dude... There's nothing to clear here; This whole thing was _his fault!_

Bill shouted, pointing yet again at Wolf.

"Peppy is dead, Fox is _dying_ , and you want us to _leave him alone?!_ "

"No, I didn't mean that. What I mean is... what if Wolf is telling the truth? What if he _did_ save Fox? Don't you think it's better if we wait for him to confirm the story?"

Deep inside, he knew the toad had a point, so Bill remained quiet.

"Besides, Fox was already helping Wolf escape the army, so wouldn't it better if we keep him alive as a witness in case Fox gets into trouble?"

The feelings of fury still remained strong within the hound.

In his eyes, Wolf was a monster, and nothing could convince him otherwise.

Whatever were his intentions for having Fox and him work together, it was obviously something bad.

Bill clung on to that thought, and with an angry and defeated tone of voice, he said.

"Even if it's true, even if he did nothing wrong and ended up saving Fox, he's _still_ to be escorted to Corneria for execution! _That's my order!_ "

"But-" Slippy tried to retort, being immediately cut off.

" _But nothing!_ " Bill yelled, now glaring at the toad he considered his friend. "Neither Fox or you have any authority over Corneria, so _that's it!_ We're taking him whether you like it or not!"

Even without the need of a spoken order, the other hounds resumed their departure as Bill attempted to storm off the room.

Unfortunately for them, Slippy had other plans.

" _R.O.B., perform a complete lock-down of the Great Fox, now!_ "

All doors around the ship immediately slid shut, including the ones Bill and his team were about to go through.

Everyone was now effectively trapped inside the med bay.

The enraged canine then turned to Slippy once more and lashed out at him.

" _What do you think you're doing?! You wanna go down with him, is that it?!_ "

The toad then placed his communicator back in his pocket and answered.

"The right thing. Fox wouldn't like if he woke up knowing the guy who saved him was gone for execution."

"I'm warning you, Slippy. You're gonna get yourself in trouble!"

"We are _already_ in trouble, Bill. I'm just trying not to make it any worse!"

Both pilots remained silent, glaring at each other for quite a while.

Bill eventually realized he'd either have to comply or put Slippy down if they all wanted to leave that room.

And he wouldn't do that, no matter how much he hated Wolf for his deeds, he still cared deeply for Slippy as a friend.

"Fine... you can keep him." He said with his teeth grit.

The hounds holding Wolf nodded in agreement and released him, shoving the canine to the ground in the process.

Slippy sighed in relief and ordered R.O.B. to release everyone, and all the doors slid open once again.

Every remaining Cornerian soldier had left the room under their commander's orders, except for Bill himself.

Before leaving, he had one last thing to say.

"Just so you know, Slippy. _I am_ gonna tell Pepper about your little affairs with Wolf!"

The toad merely smiled and answered back. "Sounds fair to me."

Bill had let out a grunt of apathy, before finally leaving the room and heading towards the docking bay.

Meanwhile, Wolf scooted himself off the ground, hands rubbing over his stomach.

"Are you feeling alright?" Slippy asked as he approached him.

"Yeah, thanks for that." The lupine replied. "It's just... that punch he gave me just reminded me of something."

*Grrroooooooowwwwwwwwl!*

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_This chapter was kinda rushed, so I apologize if it comes off as weak at times._

_It was either this or another week of wait, because I got myself ultra busy and now I only have like, one day of free time every week._

_And I'm still trying to do good to my promise of "one chapter a week," even though I don't meet that deadline so frequently._

_Oh well, now there's just one chapter left before I can finally work where the original fic had stopped._


	21. Realizations

"56% of our aircraft has been either totaled or severely damaged by the enemy; 22% of the pilots haven't survived the crash; 75% are now under medical attention; And the whereabouts of the remaining 3% is unknown."

"What about the prisoner? Have you found him?"

"I'm sorry, emperor. The prisoner was taken away, along with the other living one in the dungeon."

"Perfect." The old ape sighs as he shakes his head.

"However, in the midst of their escape, we did manage to capture someone else."

"Hm?" Andross tilts his head forward again. "Elaborate."

"We have identified him as Peppy Hare, another member from Star Fox. He was shot by one of our defense mechanisms and is now under recovery."

"Peppy Hare..." The Venomian leader uttered while stroking his chin.

In that moment, a notorious chameleon pilot had barged in the room and knelt before the ape behind the desk.

"Leon, where have you been?!"

"My apologies, emperor. Star Fox have recovered our Arwings and left me stranded in the deserts of Venom."

" _What?!_ " Andross screamed, slamming his desk. " _How_ did this happen?!"

"If I had to assume, these ships were equipped with some sort of remote control system. I was out of my ship when it started moving by itself."

"I see..." He said, calming down. "This puts yet another obstacle to my grand scheme."

"Oh, and one more thing, my lord."

"What is it?"

Leon feigned some sympathy and hesitated before speaking.

"Andrew has disobeyed your orders; He has taken the other Arwing and has been killed in battle."

Andross felt his heart stop for a few seconds, and then fill with burning fury.

By the time he had recovered from the shock, he was pushing everyone he met out of the way.

Violently shoving his minions off to either the wall or straight to the ground.

When he finally reached his laboratory, a few scientists were surprised to see their emperor acting so disruptive of their work.

One of them was pulled by their neck, strangled and forced to stare deep down the ape's rageful crimson eyes.

"Get the Amplifier working... _now!_ "

"B-but, sir. With our current progress rate, we'd only be able to develop a functioning prototype by the next year, at best."

The reptilian scientist tried to reply while coughing, he was struggling to speak.

" _I DON'T CARE ! ! !_ " Andross roared with such power that made everyone freeze. " _You finish this piece of junk by tomorrow, or I'll vaporize each one of you!_ "

A small desk filled with chemicals was brought down as the lizard had been tossed into it.

Andross turned his back and started walking away, only for another one of his scientists to stop him.

"Wait, emperor. Even if we do have the amplifier working soon enough, you must realize our main test subject has escaped."

"That won't be an issue." The ape stated, resuming his departure.

"I have the perfect replacement..."

* * *

"*munch*mmfh*chomp*mmh*nom*mmfh*glrk* Ahhh... _more!_ "

Wolf asked while sliding the empty plate over to Slippy, who sat in the other side of the table watching.

"Hey, chill out already. You had like... 10 plates over the last hour."

The whiny toad said before going back to the kitchen and preparing another meal for the lupine.

Once displayed in front of him, Wolf abandoned every concept of manners and digged in.

"Mmfh... I'll never spend another day without eating again!"

He chewed his food obnoxiously loud, and spoke with his mouth full.

It made him so happy to satiate his hunger that he didn't notice the toad staring at him until much later.

Wolf gave some final munches and swallowed, then turned to ask.

"What are you looking at?"

Slippy immediately avoided his stare and answered quite fast, panicked.

" _N-no, it's nothing; I swear!_ "

In response, Wolf merely shrugged and went back to devouring his food.

And once again was Slippy watching him intently.

He didn't know if sparing Wolf from Bill was the right choice, but he did it anyway.

Something about the way he acted left the toad extremely curious about his intentions.

There'd be consequences, grave ones for sure; But if he could cave in deeper into Wolf's persona, it might be worth it.

With a bit of uneasiness and hesitation left in him, Slippy spoke.

"Actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for quite some time now..."

"Well, shoot." Wolf replied with his mouth full.

"Okay." Slippy said, before taking a big breath and asking. "So... what happened to you down there?"

"If I have to be honest, I don't even know what happened."

Wolf replied between chews, shortly before swallowing and speaking clearly.

"Fox, me, and the old man were running through that base; Something shot both of 'em while I was running ahead; There were a lot of guys after us, so I had to take Fox and run away; As for the old guy, he seemed dead when I checked on him."

He explained and resumed eating his meal, a few bites away from emptying it.

"Thanks for telling." Slippy said in a raspier, sadder than usual tone. "But you know, that's not what I meant."

"Hm? What did you mean then?" Wolf asked as he chewed on his final bite.

"I mean... what happened to _you_?! Didn't you use to hate Fox or something?"

He stopped chewing, almost choking on his food. Choosing to simply listen as the toad continued.

"Just a few weeks ago, you threatened to kill half of Fichina if Fox didn't fight to the death with you. Now, you show up begging me to save his life?!"

Wolf really didn't want to answer that question, so he immediately changed the subject.

"I _wasn't_ begging!"

"Alright then, call it whatever you want; But it _did_ happen."

Slippy exclaimed, practically challenging the beast now.

"May I _please_ know what triggered this sudden change of heart?"

It was no use, looks like that frog wouldn't be satisfied until he knew the truth.

So Wolf did his best to come up with at least a half-assed answer and sighed.

"I realized how much of a moron I am. Let's just leave it at that."

Slippy looked to the side for thought, processing these words, then looked right back at him.

"That doesn't make any sense. I want the whole thing, in context!"

"Look... Slippy, isn't it?" Wolf started, shooting up from his chair.

The toad thought he was going to lash out against him once he started to approach.

He recoiled a bit and clenched his eyes shut waiting for the punch that was surely to come.

However, the only thing that came was Wolf's reassuring hand squeezing on his shoulder.

Slippy meekly opened his eyes and looked at the lupine above, who was grinning at him.

"Why don't you stop asking so many stuff and find me a nice place to rest, will ya?"

"Uh... sure." The toad said, blinking his eyes a few times. "What about Fox's room? You've been there before, right?"

"Yeah, that's gonna do it." Wolf moved his hand to the toad's back and lightly shoved him forward. "Lead the way."

Sweat started forming on Slippy's face, he gulped hard and did what he was told to.

Both pilots walked quietly through the lengthy hallways of the Great Fox.

Slippy felt extremely uneasy having to walk alongside Wolf.

It wasn't until the lupine broke the wall of silence between them that he got in a better mood.

"So, where did you guys get that tank?" Wolf asked, giving the toad a hell of a jump scare. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Oh, that?" Slippy said while laughing awkwardly. "That's called the 'Landmaster.' I actually built it myself, so it's not available anywhere."

" _You?!_ " Wolf laughed along. "Now that's rich... What else do you have?"

"Well... I have a submarine, some videogames, a few gadgets... I could show you sometime, if you want to."

"I think I'd like that." Wolf finished, grinning the same as before.

Before they knew, they had arrived at their destination.

Slippy made the first move and opened the door for Wolf.

"Here we are." The toad exclaimed, turning around to leave. "See ya!"

"Oi!" Wolf grabbed him before he could leave and told him. "Wake me up when Fox gets better, I need to have a little talk with him."

"Oh... Okay, fine. Anything else?" Slippy asked, to which Wolf shook his head.

The mechanic then waved good-bye once again, turning around the corner and disappearing from view.

Wolf then closed the door shut, looking back at the room he used to be in and analyzing its state.

Everything seemed to had been left exactly the same way it'd been since both him and Fox left for Andross.

_Before I betrayed him..._

Just reminding himself of that was enough to send another pang of guilt to Wolf.

The lupine regretfully walked in a straight line towards the bed, stopping to stand right in front of it.

Like a heavy chunk of wood, he allowed himself to tip and faceplant into the cushion below.

Too tired to get up and take his shoes off by hand, he used his feet; And with a bit of a hassle, he managed to do it.

His sights then started to get heavy, so he turned his head to the side and closed his eyelid.

Finally, he could use some nice, long rest.

* * *

_Above the mountains of Corneria, a lone star fighter descended from the skies, flying through the arches in the lake._

_"Woo! Pretty good, Fox. Your father used to fly just like that."_

_The young cadet rolled his eyes at the comment and resumed with his training session._

_He left the lake and proceeded to go into the forest, flying through the gap between the trees._

_His ship rotated at the exact amount he needed to avoid any collision, Fox was certain he mastered the skies.  
_

_A long time passed, and the ship reached an open field._

_Recognizing how much he'd improved, Fox thrust his ship upward in a gesture of victory._

_"Oh, yeah. Nothing can beat me now..."_

_"Don't be so sure of that, Fox McCloud!"_

_An ominous voice had echoed through the communications channel._

_Fox's line of thought had been interrupted and he found himself staring at the video feed._

_"Who said that?!" He stated aloud to himself._

_As if on cue, two large laser blasts came flying in his direction._

_The young pilot foresaw the shot coming and evaded by moving his ship aside._

_Immediately after, he glanced at the direction it came from and found a pitch black ship with Andross's insignia coming for him._

_"So you're the son of James McCloud, huh?! I must say, I'm not really impressed."_

_The video feed had finally revealed the face of the pursuer, a grey wolf sporting an eye-patch._

_"Who is this?! And what do you want with me?!" Fox asked to the attacker.  
_

_"Isn't it obvious?! I'm the guy who's gonna send you back to daddy!"_

_The mysterious pilot exclaimed before closing feed and opening fire on the unsuspecting vulpine._

_Evading each shot with expertise, Fox moved away from the black ship as it flew past beyond his._

_'Alright then, if that's what you want, come and get me!'_

_He thought while circling around to get a good shooting range out of the enemy ship._

_To his surprise, the grey wolf was coming back to attack him while both ships were in collision course with each other._

_Fox grinned at the enemy's apparent stupidity and started unleashing his power on the ship's direction._

_Several plasma blasts flew from the vulpine's ship, only to end up being reflected by the wolf._

_Some sort of ultra-fast rolling technique and all his laser blasts were suddenly tossed away like they were nothing._

_'The hell?!' was the only reaction he could come up with as the attacking ship had repositioned itself._

_Laser blasts were charged, and before long, Fox's ship was hit with a shower of plasma that filled the skies with red._

_Both of his ship's wings had been totaled, and before he could even eject, it flew straight into a tree._

_The collision had made the ship turn upside down, and knock down several other trees in the way, before finally crashing._

_"Fox?! Are you there?! FOX?!" Peppy's distraught voice echoed through the comm feed before going mute._

_Inside the cockpit, the young pilot's body had been completely mangled by the impact._

_He tried crawling out of the shattered canopy from below the ship, only to see the other one landing._

_The grey wolf jumped out of the ship and started walking in Fox's direction to meet him personally._

_The sense of fear and despair kicked inside Fox, he desperately reached for his blaster and tried to point it at his enemy._

_However, by the time he even had the strength to get his arm out, the weapon was slashed out of his hands and flew far away from his view._

_The lupine then roughly grabbed the wounded pilot, dragging him out of the ship and slamming him against its carcass._

_Fox barely had time to react as a gun was pressed tight against his chin while the wolf grinned victoriously._

_"Who... who are you?" Fox said weakly as he trembled under his grasp. "Why are you doing this to me?"_

_"So, you're that curious to know, huh? Well, let me tell you. My name is Wolf O'Donnell, the guy who killed your father."_

_Upon hearing these words, Fox let out a loud gasp and his eyes shot up wide open._

_Nothing could describe what he felt like in that moment._

_It seemed akin to anger, only mixed with an overwhelming sensation of fear and helplessness._

_"Yeesss, that's more like it... Let it burn way deep into your brain, little Fox."_

_Wolf gloated while pressing the gun tighter against Fox's chin._

_"What are you waiting for?" The vulpine asked angrily while breaking down in front of him. "If you wanna kill me, just do it already!"_

_"Kill you?! You don't really get it, do you?!" The attacker said while leaning in closer, further terrifying the young fox._

_"I don't wanna JUST kill you. I want you to FEEL what it's like to suffer; I want you to think about me; Every, single, day; And what I'm going to do with you in the future."_

_Once again was Fox slammed against his own ship and forced to endure being held at the mercy of wolf's gun._

_"Mark my words, McCloud! It's gonna be me, Wolf O'Donnell from Star Wolf, who will take you down one day. And when that day comes, I WILL kill you. But until then..."_

_The lupine had paused to deliver a powerful punch to Fox's stomach, making the vulpine gasp and throw up blood._

_"SUFFER!"_

_He fell down to the grass writhing in pain, curling his body and holding his chest up tight._

_Wolf then turned to leave, jumping back in his ship and taking off into the sun._

_It took Fox quite a while to recover his strength from all the injuries he sustained that day._

_Once he did, the young vulpine sat up on his knees and started whimpering like there was no tomorrow._

_The pilot looked at the horizon, remembering the face of the man who had just attacked him, and started to narrow his eyes in anger._

_"I won't forgive you, Wolf... I won't forgive you..."_

_He muttered to himself as he stood up vowing to the skies._

_"I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU ! ! !"_

* * *

Slippy tried to restrain his frantic leader down as he sobbed and cried.

" _I will never forgive you!_ " He screamed again, prompting Slippy to shake him awake.

"Fox... Fox! Wake up! _WAKE UP ! ! !_ "

The vulpine shot his eyes open, breathing heavy and staring into the toad's face.

Still under the dream's influence, he muttered between whimpers.

"S-Slippy?!"

"It's okay, Fox. You're safe now!"

The amphibian pilot said comfortingly, brushing a hand over his leader's forehead.

A short while later, he got up and turned the life support machine off.

After that, he walked back to Fox and started removing all plugs from his body.

"How long was I out?" The vulpine asked while sitting up.

"About 12 hours. You had a nasty wound on your shoulder, so you better be careful with that."

All the plugs were eventually removed from the pilot's body.

It gave him enough time to fully wake up from dream land and come back to reality.

As soon as Fox could think straight again, he analyzed the room, noticing someone was missing.

"Where's Peppy? ... And Falco?" He asked the toad. "Are they sleeping or something? Why aren't they here for me?"

Slippy then looked down and waited for a moment, before speaking in a sad voice.

He wanted to deliver the bad news first, then the horrible news afterwards.

"Um, Fox... Falco has left the team; He stole an Arwing and flew away before I could bring him back."

" _What?! Why would he do that?!_ " Fox screamed, demanding to know.

"Bill had brought this huge fleet to rescue you, and then he said we sucked as a team, and you offended him or something."

"Oh boy..." He muttered, holding his temples together as he shook his head. "What about Peppy?!"

The toad hesitated once more, before finally delivering the dreaded news to his leader.

"Peppy was shot along with you, while you were still down in that base... He had to stay behind."

Fox's eyes then slowly started to widen, along with his jaw opening.

"...He's dead!" Slippy stated with a mournful voice.

Fox remained silent, muttering a few words and not being able to speak past the first letter.

"N... Ah... N... N-no! T... t-this c-can't be!" He finally managed to muster. "If Peppy died, then who brought me back?!"

"Well... To tell you the truth..." He waited a bit before saying. "...It was Wolf."

" _WOLF?!_ " Fox yelled in shock, feeling his blood boil by the minute he recognized the name.

He started to remember everything, how he offered to go fight Andross alongside him, only to have his back stabbed.

How Peppy tried to warn him about what would happen if he ever trusted him, and how he proved him right.

That son of a bitch had already taken away his father of blood, and now he took away his _second_ father too?!

 _I won't forgive you... I won't forgive you..._ These were the only words that composed all of Fox's thoughts.

Slippy could see his leader trembling, and tried to help, only to have himself pulled by his uniform's jacket.

" _WHERE IS WOLF?! WHERE, IS, HE?!_ " Fox demanded of him.

"H-he's sleeping in your room right now. I-I don't think we should-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Slippy found himself being pushed aside as the vulpine walked away.

Each step he gave, he felt more and more exhausted, nauseated.

Eventually, Fox had lost all of his strength and let himself fall to the ground.

"Fox!" Slippy shouted, coming to his friend's aid. "Don't go doing reckless things; You just woke up from a 12 hour coma!"

With his support, the vulpine was able to walk back to the bed he was previously in.

He let his head be lowered against the cushion, and waited a bit before asking the toad again.

"Tell me, Slippy. What did the military say about me and Wolf working together?"

"They didn't say anything, Bill was only there to escort him back to Corneria."

"And why didn't he do it?!" Fox asked, feeling the spite flow through his voice.

"Because..." The frog hesitated once more, knowing this would likely invoke his leader's wrath. "I stopped them."

"What did you just say?!"

In an instant, Fox rose up from his bed and glared straight into Slippy's eyes.

The poor mechanic could do nothing, but gulp down some breath and continue.

"Since none of us knew what happened, I thought it was a good idea to wait for you to wake up and... give... your... insight?"

" _You're telling me you had the perfect chance to frame Wolf for all this shit, and you DIDN'T do it?!_ "

For a moment, Slippy thought he would end up getting punched, for Fox donned an expression even scarier than that of Falco.

The toad screamed in fear and ducked, covering his head with both hands.

Fortunately, before anything could happen, Fox groaned in pain and held his temples tight.

Slippy then opened his eyes to peek a little, and made the mistake of trying to reason with the enraged vulpine.

"What was I supposed to do?! You and Wolf left without saying anything. Besides, he _did_ save you, you know that?!"

He explained as fast as he could, trying to avoid making Fox any angrier.

" _Just... Go, Slippy!_ " The vulpine shouted. "Leave me alone!"

"But-" He tried to object, being interrupted by a loud. " _GO ! ! !_ "

Slippy said nothing, just nodded in agreement and left the room.

Alone again with his own thoughts, Fox started to break down in tears, hiding his face under his hands.

_Why is this happening to me?! ... I thought I was a good pilot... I thought I was a good leader... But now?_

He remembered the kind words his father said to him back then, back when he thought he had killed Andross.

"You've become so strong, Fox."

_Now I know... That was a lie._

_It was just me going crazy all along._

* * *

Wolf woke up with a start from his nightmare.

It took him a moment to realize his face was perfectly aligned with the nightstand in Fox's room.

And just like last time he'd seen it, there was a picture hanging loose from its drawer.

He reached out for the picture, pulling it back and holding it to take another look.

It was the same picture, it hadn't changed in the slightest... At least, not physically.

For him, however, that picture represented yet another reminder of how gullible he was.

Wolf felt himself starting to break down, crushing that picture with his bare hands.

_Why couldn't I realize it earlier?! ... WHY GODDAMMIT?!_

It was tossed from his hands, hitting against the wall and bouncing 'til it fell straight to the ground.

The lupine tried to go back to sleep, his face buried deep into the mattress as his hands covered the back of his head.

_I hate myself... I hate me..._

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Here's some trivia for this chapter, and in a broader sense, to this whole fic._

_The scene where Fox first meets Wolf was inspired by their first meeting on Star Fox 64._

_If you pay attention to the details, you'll notice Fox had known Wolf way before the Lylat Wars, while his team had only heard about them._

_As evidenced by when you lose to them and Falco says "So this is Star Wolf?"_

_As for the character development of Wolf in this fic, it's based off a little information they give on the player guides._

_According to a few Japanese guides, Wolf had been manipulated by Pigma and Andross into becoming Fox's enemy._

_Other guides state both of them would probably be friends if Pigma hadn't convinced Wolf to turn evil or something._

_What shocks me the most is that there's no single fic in this whole website that ever explored this concept._

_I can only remember one, and I won't name it, but it's not really touched upon in the main story._

_So I used that concept to create my own stupid-ass fic. But that's enough trivia for today, see you next time!_


	22. New Beginnings

_*BANG BANG BANG*_

_"Fox! C'mon, open up!"_

_Bill shouted, banging tirelessly against the door._

_Followed by the toad's unsuccessful attempt._

_"You don't need to be afraid, Fox. It's me, Slippy!"_

_In the residence hall of the Flight Academy, a crowd started forming around the pilot's dorm._

_Many wondering what happened, many others gossiping about what might've happened._

_A passerby joined the crowd and whispered to a friend nearby.  
_

_"Hey, isn't that McCloud's dorm?"_

_"It is, I heard he's been attacked in the woods."_

_"Attacked? By who?"_

_"They didn't say who it was, only that they almost killed him."_

_"Geez... poor guy. Glad that wasn't me."_

_"ALRIGHT, SHOW'S OVER EVERYONE; MOVING ON ! ! !"_

_All students shifted their gaze to an approaching old hare._

_Realizing the man used to be a Star Fox member himself, all of them scattered around and left the area._

_All of them, except Bill and Slippy, who stood by their friend's door._

_"Peppy. What are we gonna do? It's been two days and Fox is still locked inside there!"_

_The concerned toad informed him as he tugged on his shirt._

_"Now, now; It's alright, kids. You two go and and mind your own business, I'll take care of him!"_

_Said the senior as he pulled a pair of spare keys to Fox's dorm._

_Both pilots nodded and silently walked away._

_With everyone gone, Peppy proceeded to unlock the door and peek inside._

_"Fox...?"_

_His eyes scanned the whole dormitory, settling down on the young canine._

_Sitting there on the ground, laying against the side-rails of his own bed._

_The vulpine's head was hung down, the fur around his eyes was darker than usual._

_It looked like as if he hadn't eaten, showered or slept for a long time._

_Peppy approached the young man, who didn't even acknowledge his presence._

_"Hey, champion. Do you recognize me?"_

_Fox was being shaken awake by his 'uncle,' but even that did little to faze him._

_There was no more reason to live for the vulpine, he'd lost his parents, and he failed as a pilot._

_What else was there for him to do?_

_"It's okay, son. Everything's gonna be alright from now on!"_

_The hare said as he knelt down to hug him, causing the vulpine to start sobbing against his chest._

_He hugged the young fox tight, allowing the tears to soak his uniform and not daring to let him go._

_"Why, Peppy?!" Fox whimpered. "Why didn't you tell me dad got killed?!"_

_"I should've told you, I know." Peppy lamented as brushed the fox's fur. "But we can't risk to cause a reaction."_

_"We want our military to remain strong, to keep training without having to worry about the coming war."_

_The moment he said that, memories were getting revisited in Fox's mind._

_Many about that day, when he was pursued and outclassed in every aspect imaginable._

_He didn't want to get military training anymore, he wanted revenge.  
_

_Against his father's murderer, against the people who employed his father's murderer._

_But the way he was right now, he wouldn't be able to do that. Not without help._

_His crying started to cease, and that's when he'd found a new reason to go on living._

_Gently, the pilot pushed away the hands that were giving him comfort, and asked._

_"Can you make me stronger, Peppy?"_

_"Huh? What do you mean, Fox?"_

_The vulpine stood up tall and wiped away the tears off his face, and said._

_"I wanna be as strong as you and dad... Make me!"_

* * *

"Peppy..."

He whispered to himself, dwelling in the memories of his then teammate.

Without warning, the sounds of the door swishing had taken him back to the real world.

The doors slid open to reveal Slippy, walking in to check on his leader.

"Feeling better, Fox?"

"Yeah, I guess." He replied in a depressed tone. "Sorry about that freakout earlier."

"It's okay." The toad replied with an understanding tone. "But now that you're better, I need to know _one_ thing."

He finished, clearing his throat before continuing and lashing out against the vulpine.

" _What were you thinking?! Why the hell did you leave without saying anything?! Are you crazy?!_ "

Fox couldn't help but chuckle at the toad's anger, 'crazy' would probably be an understatement.

"It's kind of a long story." He started. "Well, after Peppy found out I was dealing with Wolf, he called some people to escort him. I still hadn't gotten the information I wanted, so I got desperate. As soon as I got it though, I knew that letting Wolf leave would get the army on my tail pretty quick and Star Fox would end up losing its reputation, so I needed to make up an excuse."

"And that was...?" Slippy trailed off, begging him to continue.

"I planned to have me and Wolf go kill Andross ourselves, so I could come back and tell them it was _all for the sake of Lylat_." Fox explained with a snarky tone, before getting slightly angry again. "But then the bastard double-crossed me, and now I'm screwed."

"He... _double-crossed_ you?!"

Slippy asked with a questioning tone to it, leaving Fox confused.

"Yeah, he did. Why do you make it sound like that?"

"Sound like what?"

"Like he would never do it. You know what Wolf is capable of, don't you?"

The toad paused momentarily, trying to figure out the lupine's intentions.

"Um, Fox... Do you remember when I told you Wolf actually saved you?"

"Yeah, so what?! He probably did it just to avoid getting his ass escorted back to Corneria."

He replied while crossing his arms. Slippy was still unsure of whether he had a point or not.

"You wouldn't say that if you had seen the way he begged me to save your life."

The toad muttered softly.

" _Slippy, can't you understand?!_ He knew you were good, so he exploited you to save his own hide."

The toad then looked away, not knowing how to respond.

"Wolf didn't change overnight; He's the same deceiving, sociopathic asshole he's always been. Why is that so hard to believe?!"

Remaining silent for a few seconds, Slippy muttered again.

"He actually asked me to have a talk with you."

"Oh, Great!" Fox spat, rolling his eyes. "And what does he want now?!"

"That's something you're gonna have to ask him yourself. I'll go get him!"

Standing up from his chair, Slippy was preparing to leave.

Unexpectedly, he was restrained by Fox's grabbing his wrist.

"Hold on! You can't just leave me here with that freak, he's gonna kill me!"

"If he wanted to kill you, he would've done it already. Besides, he's unarmed!"

Slippy stated with a 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone, earning a look of incredulity out of Fox.

"And you think that'll stop him?! I still got a hole in my chest, if you don't remember."

"Alright, alright..." The toad said as he tossed his blaster over to him. "If he tries anything, neutralize him with this."

He added and proceeded to walk away while Fox examined the gun.

* * *

Wolf laid against the wall, overhearing the conversation that's taken place inside the room.

Minutes later, the doors swished open and Slippy walked out of it, heading towards his direction.

"Okay, you can go now!"

"Right."

The lupine said before drawing a heavy sigh and mentally preparing himself to walk in.

"You feeling alright?!" The toad asked with concern, making Wolf stare at him annoyed.

"My only hope is a guy who wants to rip my guts out. How do you _think_ I feel?!"

As a response, Slippy shrugged and told him.

"Honestly? I don't know anymore."

With that said, the toad walked away from view.

Wolf was left all alone now, ready to face the confrontation that awaited him.

Sighing again, his feet walked forward and stopped in front of the double doors.

They swished away from his sights, revealing an angry-looking Fox sitting in a bed from the distance.

His glare was intense. Wolf had never really taken the time to analyze the way Fox had looked, but now...

It seemed like the vulpine was emanating a black aura of pure hatred that steamed out of every corner of his body.

What unsettled him the most was that he could see himself projected into that being.

As though Fox was the mirror, and he was everyone who crossed down his path.

"Are you enjoying the show?!" The vulpine's annoyed voice leading him back to reality. "A true spectacle, don't you think?!"

Fox noticed how the pirate stared at him, possibly enjoying how he killed his teammate and how furious he felt for it.

Wolf did his best to recompose himself and put on a good demeanor, walking towards him with open arms.

"Heeeyyy, pup! So glad to see you're still alive and kickin'... I was worried for a mom-"

" _CUT THE CRAP, WOLF ! ! !_ " The vulpine yelled at the top of his lungs. " _Just tell me what the hell do you want already!_ "

"No need to lose your head like that." Wolf retorted with a chuckle. "Didn't we have a deal? I help you, and you help me."

"The deal was: we escape Andross. After that, it was _every man by himself_. Now..."

Fox paused to pull out his blaster and point it at Wolf, who froze and stared at him shocked.

"...tell me one good reason I shouldn't blast the shit out of you right now!"

Wolf quickly raised his arms in defense, and after a moment of thinking, he answered.

"Because I'm the only one who can help you right now!"

" _What the fuck are you talking about?! You think I need your HELP?!_ "

"I heard about your plan, it's good. And it can still work, if you use the right words for it."

" _Well, it doesn't matter anymore, now does it?! BECAUSE YOU RUINED IT ! ! !_ "

Fox screamed, sharpening the aim of his gun closer to Wolf.

"Besides, what makes you think I'd want _anything_ to do with you after what you've done to Peppy?!"

"Me?! I didn't do anything to your bunny friend!" The lupine yelled back with indignation.

"Oh, you didn't?! Then, where is he?! Oh, that's right; He's _dead!_ Because _you_ fucked me over and got both of us captured!"

Wolf avoided his gaze for a few seconds, feeling the guilt wash over him all over again.

"It doesn't have to be like that..."

He muttered to the vulpine, who glared at him with confusion.

"Listen, why don't you tell the military that you went to fight against Andross all by yourself? That _you_ got yourself captured, and that I _bravely_ came back for your rescue when your teammates couldn't do it?"

The lupine finished with a shit-eating grin, while Fox was left dumbstruck.

" _That's a fat load of shit!_ _Who do you think you're gonna fool with that fairy tale of yours?!_ "

Wolf shrugged. "I don't know, you're the one trying to fool them into thinking I was a good guy."

Fox tried to calm down and think a little more about his idea, right before pressing his digit tighter against the trigger.

"What about this? I accept the army's offer to join them, earn back their trust, and get to watch you rotting away in jail?"

"Jail?!" The lupine snickered. "You _really_ don't know anything, do you? I'm marked for _execution_ , dumb pup!"

" _BULLSHIT ! ! !_ " Fox screamed, he knew that was a lie. He'd been through every file about Wolf since the day they'd met, and he had never found any order for execution. Besides, Peppy would've warned him beforehand if there was any. "And even if you were... I'd _still_ accept being the army's slave just to see you getting your head chopped off!"

"So, you're giving up on your team, just like that?"

Wolf asked. It made Fox almost freeze in place, if it weren't for one thing.

"My team is already doomed, _thanks to you!_ I only have _one_ teammate left, and just the two of us can't handle it."

"Hmm... Is that so? Well, let me make it up to you: I'll be your teammate, does that sound fair?"

 _Now_ he was frozen in place. Him and Wolf? Teammates? _  
_

Impossible, there had to be some grand scheme involved behind that decision.

"Don't make me laugh! You back-stabbed me once, what makes you think I don't know you're gonna do it all over again?!"

"Look, I'm just giving you a chance to save your team. And I don't really have anything to get by betraying you right now, since both Corneria _and_ Venom want me dead. But you know what? If you're not up for it, just go ahead and shoot. If somebody's gonna kill me, then I'd rather it be you who does it."

He finished explaining, closing his eye shut and waiting for the one bullet that would end it all.

"Go on... Pull the trigger!"

Fox was taken aback by his willingness, he started to think further into the plan.

Of course, his knee-jerk reaction was to press tighter against the trigger. But he was being offered a clear choice to make.

Kill Wolf, spend the rest of his days serving the army, and destroy the one thing he's worked so hard on and that meant the whole life for him?

He couldn't afford to do that, not in a million years; Even if it meant having to work with Wolf himself.

But how can he even trust a guy who's tried to destroy everything that's dear to him?

What made it all worse was that even if he'd escape the army's jaws, he wouldn't operate his team with Slippy only.

He had to find someone, someone who could compensate for the absence of Falco and Peppy combined.

And thanks to all the dogfights he had, Wolf was the only one who could come even close to do it.

_Don't trust him... How many times do you need to learn this lesson?! Kill him now, you idiot! Do it!_

The mental scuffle had lasted more than it should have.

Enough that when Wolf had peeked out of his eye, he could see Fox struggling to retract his weapon.

_He... he did it! ... He's sparing me! ... Even after all the shit I've done, he's sparing me!_

Fox said nothing, only hung his head down in defeat.

Wolf lowered his arms down and grinned, walking up to the vulpine and ruffling the fur in his head.

"Thanks, pup. I'll take good care of you, you'll see!"

" _FUCK OFF, WOLF! Don't make me change my damn mind!_ "

The vulpine yelled, angrily swatting the arm away.

"Heh... Sorry. I'll leave you alone for now."

The lupine turned around and did as he said, tail swishing back and forth behind him.

Once he was all alone, Fox threw himself back to the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

His mind was completely screwed, flying with decisions that collided with each other every second.

_Did I really make the right choice?_

* * *

Hours had passed since then.

Fox had put much thought into working with Wolf before he had decided to go through with it.

Of course, working with the lupine didn't mean he could trust him, not in the slightest.

He knew very well what kind of things Wolf could pull off at any moment, how unpredictable he was.

But that didn't mean he had to turn down a pretty good offer at saving his team.

All it meant was that he had to be extra careful. He'd do everything in his power to keep the lupine at bay.

"Ready to do this, Fox?"

Slippy asked, sitting in the opposite side of the bridge next to a console.

Fox stood in the center of the room facing the video feed, and nodded.

In reality, the vulpine wasn't as ready as he wanted to be, his nerves were on the edge.

It was this moment that could decide whether his career would live to see another day or he'd have his name tarnished forever.

Many taps could be heard coming from the toad's hands, only fueling his leader's uneasiness.

Face still focused on the video feed, it started producing static, until it materialized into the face of General Pepper.

Unlike usual, the hound didn't have the serene look he was known to have. He looked _pissed;_ It wasn't a good sign.

Both him and Fox stared at each other for a moment, challenging the other to see who'd speak first, but Pepper beat him to it.

"I believe you owe me some _good_ clarifications, Fox." The sand colored hound spoke. "Failure to deliver Wolf, conspiring against the Cornerian Army, portions of our fleet from Katina gone, and just to add insult to injury, I've received confirmation from commander Bill Grey that my longtime comrade and friend, Peppy, has been _killed_ while Andross was confirmed to be still alive."

Each word that came out of his mouth made the pilot sweat like crazy.

"If it weren't for your relation to James, you can't even imagine what I would be doing to you right now." The hound added, playing with the lollipop in his mouth. "But, given that you _did_ stop the war and saved billions of lives, mine included, I'll give you one chance to defend yourself... Now talk!"

Shaking in anxiety like never before, Fox gulped down some breath and responded.

"Okay, let's go from the beginning..." The vulpine sighed. "Some time ago, I realized the Andross I've killed on Venom wasn't actually him, but a bio-weapon designed to _look_ like him. I wouldn't know about it until Wolf accidentally spilled it out for me after we've recaptured him back on Fichina."

He explained while Pepper was stroking his chin, unfazed by his words.

"After I realized it, I tried to get information out of Wolf, since he used to work for Venom. We had a pretty big argument, and he only agreed to do it if I chose to set him free."

"So, you did." The general concluded. "Instead of trying to inform the military about it."

Fox hung his head down and paused for a moment to relish in all the mounting shame that was getting to him.

Back then, he'd been blackmailed by Wolf. He _knew_ he hadn't really killed Andross, and felt his image would be damaged by that.

But comparing to now, that 'damage' looked almost insignificant. Besides, he knew he could recover with Peppy's help.

If only he knew everything would escalate to this point, he'd never gp on about doing it.

"I'm sorry, general. I was too blinded by my wish to get revenge on Andross, I didn't think through. When I finally released Wolf, I used the information I've gotten to track him down and tried to take on Andross all by myself. I was stupid, I thought since we destroyed so many of his bases back during the war, he wouldn't be too much of a threat, but I guess I had to learn it the hard way." The vulpine then looked back at his superior with pleading eyes. "Forgive me, sir... I was only trying to do what I thought was the best for Lylat. I swear!"

Pepper's expression started to soften up.

The hound avoided Fox's gaze, taking his time to process his words carefully.

Shortly after, he looked back at the vulpine.

"I should be the one asking for forgiveness. You're a good man, Fox; I should never question you about that."

He said, ending with a smile and reverting back to his usual self.

Fox smiled back and sighed in relief, bowing down to the general repeatedly.

"Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you so much!"

* _Psssttt!_ * A sound came from over the console.

The vulpine looked back and saw Slippy making weird gestures.

His teammate pointed at the door, and at the same time, at the Star Fox insignia on his uniform.

That's when Fox finally realized it. He's been so relieved that he had forgotten completely about Wolf's offer.

Gulping down some breath again, the vulpine slowly turned his head back to the general.

"Uhh... sir?" He called his attention meekly. "Remember when you said you'd give me anything I wanted... if I just asked for it?"

"I did?" Pepper responded a bit confused, but then it hit him. "Ohh, right. I did! Haha, it's been so much time, I didn't remember!"

It seemed like he was in good spirits, that was a good; Fox thought.

But still, it was _painful_ to even suggest it. He tried moving his mouth many times, and nothing would come out of it.

"Could you please... p... p-pardon... W- _Wolf_?" Fox finished, shutting his eyes tight and preparing for the scorn.

Upon hearing the request, the old hound's smile suddenly disappeared, his eyes shot wide open, just as his jaw did.

The lollipop he usually donned fell off to the ground, rolling until it touched his boots.

"W... Wolf? As in... Wolf O'Donnell?!" He asked incredulously.

As a response, Fox nodded his head without even opening his eyes.

To his surprise, a good while had passed and he hadn't heard anything.

"Sir...?" He called while peeking out with an eye.

" _Have you lost your mind, Fox?! How can you ask this for the man who murdered your father?!_ "

The vulpine got desperate and started to stutter.

"Y-yeah, I know what he did. B-but listen to m-"

" _And besides that, he tried to murder YOU countless times, don't you remember?!_ "

"I-I understand that, but if you just give me one second to explain-"

"And I wouldn't be surprised to find out he's the one who's murdered Peppy and-"

" _LISTEN TO ME, DAMMIT ! ! !_ "

Fox screamed at the top of his lungs, tired of Pepper's interruptions.

When he realized what he'd just done, he was completely terrified and praying to God nothing bad would happen next.

Fortunately, the old hound complied and put his hands behind his back, resorting to watch and listen.

Feeling relieved, Fox cleared his throat and said.

"I know Wolf's done a lot of bad things, but before you judge my decision, there's something you _really_ need to know."

"And what would that be?" Pepper asked spitefully while narrowing his eyes.

"Well... When I was captured by Andross, I sent a distress signal to my team. Peppy received it and called Bill for help, that's the story you already know. But here's what happened: when Peppy got around to rescuing me, he failed. Both of us got shot while trying to escape, and that's when..."

He paused, cringing at the number of lies he was about to spout to his superior.

"...that's when Wolf came in and saved my life. Even though he had nothing to do with us anymore, he _bravely_ came back and risked himself to make sure I'd come back safe."

"You're being dishonest; I can see right through it. You're not telling me the truth, Fox!"

" _But I am!_ " He screamed back. "Just ask Bill, or Slippy there, they're gonna tell you the same thing!"

The vulpine then took a moment to curse himself for his lying skills.

"B... Besides, you said you would never question me again!"

He added. Pepper then felt embarrassed, realizing he practically backed himself into a corner.

"Please, Fox. You can ask for anything, _anything_ but that!"

"Wolf and I had a talk, sir. He said he wants to make up for his deeds, and serve Corneria under Star Fox. I think this is a pretty good opportunity, since my team needs at least three members to function."

"If that's the case, I can send someone to you. I'll find the most suitable pilot and-"

"No, thanks!" Fox interrupted him, waving a paw up in his face. "I work better with people I trust, that's how I made this team."

The hound paused for a second to contemplate.

He realized it wouldn't matter how much he pleaded, the vulpine looked dead serious about doing this.

Sighing in defeat, he told him.

"Very well, a promise is a promise. I'll consider your request!"

"Thank you, gen-"

" _Fox!_ " He suddenly yelled, interrupting the young pilot. "I said, I'll _consider_."

Adjusting his cap one final time, he announced his leave. "Pepper out!"

His image then distorted into static, that was soon dispersed as the video feed turned pitch black.

All that stress was finally catching up to Fox, and he fell on his knees to the ground, grunting from exhaustion.

Slippy excitedly rushed to him and helped him stand back up.

" _Fox, you did it!_ " The toad shouted with glee.

"Yeah... I guess so... But why am I not feeling much better about it?"

He said while getting up on his feet, only to have the very reason show up.

The doors to the bridged swished open, and a confident-looking Wolf stepped inside.

"So... How'd it go, pup?"

The pilot grumbled and faced away, crossing his arms.

"You're pardoned... Not officially, but yeah."

Wolf expressed disbelief for a split-second, only to be incredibly amused in the next one.

He bent down a bit to look at Fox on his eye level, getting the vulpine's attention as he planted a hand on his shoulder.

"So I take it that we're gonna be buddies from now on, eh pup?"

The lupine rhetorically asked with a cocky grin.

Fox then growled and shoved him away quite brutally.

Wolf had to take a few steps back in order not to fall, almost losing his balance.

" _I am not_ your buddy, I am your _leader_. And first order as your leader, don't call me 'pup'!"

The lupine studied his expression for a while, and found himself extremely amused at the way Fox looked.

"Sure, whatever you say, leader."

He started with a chuckle, turning around and walking away.

" _Hey, where do you think you're going now?!_ "

Fox asked him furiously as the doors swished before Wolf.

"I'm gonna check this place out, gonna get ready to work with ya!"

He explained, waving a hand and flashing a smile in Fox's direction.

"See ya later, _pup!_ "

The doors slid shut, leaving behind an annoyed-looking Fox.

" _Ugh. I hate that guy!_ "

The vulpine openly stated, mostly at himself rather than Slippy.

"You know, I'll never understand you two. You keep saying you hate him, but you pardon him and let him join the team just like that?!"

As a reaction, Fox huffed and crossed his arms. He began to explain.

"He's good, and he wants to destroy Andross's ass just as much as I do, it's better than nothing."

"Riiiiiiight..." The toad snarked at his leader.

Fox then looked back at his teammate with a glare, and added.

"And still, I _don't_ trust him. I just _know_ he's gonna waste that pardon one day, and when that happens, I'll _gladly_ get rid of him."

"But until then, don't give him any access to our consoles, and don't let him leave without my permission. Got it?!"

Slippy then lifted his arms in a 'whatever' gesture and told him.

"You're the leader."

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Finally! We're about to continue the original fic and enter the final chapters of this goddamn story._

_Maybe I should take another hiatus... Just kidding, please don't kill me._

_By the way, am I making Fox a little too 'tsundere' in this thing?!_

_Please, tell me in the reviews. Bye!_


	23. No Rest for the Wicked

Slippy sat alone in his room, messing with his laptop.

"Wolf O'Donnell - Search!" he typed into the keyboard.

Numerous files were displayed in the screen, all sorted by class.

He selected the top-most result, classed A.

The page then demanded a password to access the information.

After inputting it, an array of data was displayed for him.

* * *

** Wolf O'Donnell **

Identity No: **063-004-271-997**

Real name: **Not specified**

Nationality: **Cornerian**

Date of Birth: **Unknown (Approx. Age: 21)  
**

Criminal charges: **Treason, Larceny**

Status: **WANTED**

* * *

_This is so strange... Why hasn't Wolf's status changed yet?_

Slippy thought as he scrolled through the lupine's data.

Some time passed, and someone knocked at the door unexpectedly.

To his surprise, when he walked up to open it, it was no one other than Wolf himself.

"Hey, froggy. Is Fox in there with you?" The lupine asked, surveying the room from the door frame.

"Uh... hi, Wolf." He greeted. "No, he's not here. Did you need him for something?"

The grey canine sighed. "I'm bored. Say, you doin' anything right now?"

Instantly, the toad threw a glance to his still open laptop and dropped a sweat.

"Nope! Nothing at all! Why do you ask?"

"I thought you could show me the stuff you promised."

"Oh, right. That junk..." He trailed off. "Just hold on for a minute."

Slippy then closed the door shut in Wolf's face and rushed back to shut down the laptop.

Threat clear, he walked back to the door and welcomed the lupine into his quarters.

* * *

Fox cautiously walked through the hallways of the Great Fox.

The last few days since Wolf's pardon had taken a great toll on him.

ROB had been programmed to report any suspicious activities from the lupine.

As well as to alert him whenever he'd find himself approaching the pirate.

The only time where he wanted to be close to that traitor was when they were flying;

When he'd be way too distracted blowing things up to even think about him.

Teammate or not, there'd be no chance in hell where Fox would let Wolf upstage him.

It happened once, and once was enough for him to drop every sense of trust he had ever given that lupine.

He was determined to not let it happen ever again.

So he just walked, hoping ROB wouldn't come up with an alert of his presence.

By fate or misfortune, it eventually had to happen, and his comm ringed.

"Wolf. Approaching. Location: Slippy's. Quarters."

_Slippy?!_ Fox's heart raced, he started running until he reached his friend's door.

When he got close to it, he could hear both pilots' muffled voices on the other side.

Stealthily, he leaned in and placed his ears against the metal walls to overhear them.

* * *

"...and this is my shield jammer."

The toad exclaimed while picking a thin, square object between his fingers.

He carefully put it in Wolf's palm, so he could take a closer look.

Puzzled, the lupine picked the device between his index finger and his thumb, lifting it up.

To him, that device looked just like some sort of magnet, so he decided to test it out.

Bending down from the bed he was sitting on, he lifted the device a few inches from the ground.

Suddenly, the object flew away from the pilot's fingers and attached itself to the floor, just like a magnet would.

" _Watch it!_ " The mechanic shouted while quickly scooping the device off the ground.

"This thing may look like a magnet, but it takes effect as soon as it gets attached to any sort of alloy, no matter how big."

He finished explaining, handing the device back in Wolf's hands.

" _That's amazing!_ " The perplexed canine exclaimed, inspecting the object.

"Though... I gotta ask. Why are you showing me these things?"

"What do you mean?" Slippy asked confused.

"You know, I could easily lead an attack to your ship by using this thing. So, why show it to me?"

Wolf explained and asked him.

Slippy thought about his question, and replied with a warm smile. "Nah, you're not gonna do it."

"Hm?" The dazzled canine grunted. "You don't think I can use this against you?! You're pretty naive."

"Maybe." He giggled. "I know, I only know you for a few days... but I don't think you're really _that_ bad."

In that moment, Wolf felt his face becoming red from embarrassment.

"Heh... You shouldn't talk about shit you don't know, froggy. I can be your worst nightmare!"

He told him while pressing the mechanic cap tighter against the toad's head.

"Besides, you're the only one who ever gave a damn about my inventions."

Slowly, Slippy began to lose his smile and look away pensive.

"The others just keep telling me I'm useless whenever I make new stuff for them."

"Don't fret about it." Wolf said, earning his attention back. "They value you, I'm sure of it."

Slippy regained his smile a bit after hearing it, prompting Wolf to continue.

"I guess the rest of your team just have too much of a _tight ass_ and can't admit it."

Slippy tried to suppress a laughter and failed, his cackling echoing throughout his entire room.

Wolf ended up finding his child-like voice amusing and managed to muster a chuckle as well.

And then... _*SLAM!*_ Both of them shifted their gaze towards the doorway.

Standing tall and glaring at the duo was an angry Fox McCloud who had just shoved the door open.

Wolf was the first to act, standing up from the bed and walking up to the vulpine.

"Hey, _leader_. Haven't seen you in quite a while. Are you avoiding me or something?"

The canine asked in a friendly manner, towering over him and giving a big, smug grin.

Fox dismissed the obvious question and just gone straight to the point.

"Me and Slippy need to talk in private, get out!"

The lupine threw a quick glance at Slippy, who just nodded and gestured for him to go.

Once out of the room, Fox slowly closed the door shut and placed his ears against it.

He could hear the pirate's footsteps outside, becoming fainter and fainter until there was only silence.

Privacy assured, the young pilot turned around to face Slippy, still sitting at the end of his bed.

"Why are you being nice to him?" He grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning against the door.

"Am I not supposed to? Wolf is our teammate now!" The toad explained.

"He is _not_ our teammate, he's a _replacement_. The moment we don't need him anymore, he's a _goner!_ "

"Now tell me, why are you showing him our weapons?! Do you wanna kill us all or something, Slippy?!"

Having spent a few days interacting with the lupine himself, Slippy had become a bit upset.

"Look, Fox. I know you have this picture in your head that Wolf is the evil incarnate, but he's not!"

"Oh, really?! And what are you, his boyfriend or something?!" Fox's tone had become harsher.

"Have you _ever_ questioned why he acts the way he does, Fox?!"

The toad asked his leader, only for him to look away for thought.

"Why he's up for execution and everyone knew, but us?! Why he double-crossed you, only to save you later?! Why he's being nice after threatening to kill all of us for ages?!"

Memories lingered in Fox's mind, about the day Wolf told him why he didn't kill him outright.

"He's just saving us for later, because that's what he likes to do. Wolf likes to see us suffer, Slippy. That's his _modus operandi_."

"Things are never black and white like that, there's a reason for everything." He muttered. "Honestly, he hasn't done _anything_ in the few days I've been with him, and he's quite a nice guy if you got to know him. All he does now is eat and sleep with us, that's it. I know what he did to you, but you can't deny that he's changed!"

"Bullshit!" Fox huffed and turned his head in disbelief.

"And you know what? I think you're going way overboard with your hate for him."

The vulpine heard those words, and returned his gaze to the toad to glare at him maliciously.

"Excuse me?! ... Are you telling _me_ to _get over it?!_ "

"What?! No! S-stop twisting my words!"

Fox leaned off from the wall, and started to walk towards Slippy.

"I'm _so_ sorry for offending you with my hate. Next time someone beats the shit out of _you-_ " He suddenly shouted, shoving a finger up the toad's chest. "-and then kills _your_ family-" He shoved another. "-and then promises to hunt _you_ down for the rest of _your_ life, you can tell _me_ to _GET OVER IT!_ " Fox snarled, finishing with a full-blown shove that sent the toad falling on his back to the bed.

He stood in place, panting from his rant while Slippy laid down shocked out of his wits.

The mechanic was completely motionless, staring at Fox slack-jawed; His eyes open in utter terror.

After a minute or two, the canine's anger eventually subsided.

Looking forward, all he could see was Slippy's trembling form laying against the bed.

Fox felt guilty, stretching out his arm in an attempt to comfort his friend, but the toad backed away in fear.

_What have I done?!_ He thought, starting to feel horrible for mistreating his friend.

How could he do this to him?! They knew each other from childhood, now he's treating him like dirt?!

"S... S-sorry, Slippy. I-I didn't mean it..." He assured him, but that wasn't enough.

After some time, Fox turned around in an attempt to hide his face from Slippy, and continued.

"It's just... Dad and Peppy are already gone... And I don't want the same to happen to _you_."

He peeked back for a while, and saw that the toad was still in shock.

In a swift motion, he hid his face again from him again and muttered. "Forgive me..."

The vulpine then moved forward and opened the door, leaving the room as fast as he could.

Once he reached the hallway, he rubbed his eyes with one hand.

And upon opening them, they were once more filled with rage, as he noticed Wolf resting against the walls.

Apparently, the lupine had overheard everything, and returned Fox's glare with a look of disapproval.

"You got issues, pup." That was all he told him, fueling the vulpine's rage even more.

" _Fuck you! And stay the hell away from Slippy!_ " He spat and walked past Wolf, bumping his shoulder against his.

After that, the lupine just watched him leave and disappear from view.

Wasting no time, Wolf returned to the toad's quarters and saw him a little freaked out.

"You okay there, froggy?" The canine asked as he approached the pilot.

Slippy didn't react, he just let him get closer.

Once he was close enough, his sole reaction was to jump and hug Wolf for comfort.

While shocked and caught a bit off-guard, Wolf let the act go on uninterrupted.

Rubbing his hand over the toad's back until he could feel better.

* * *

Meanwhile, a black ship with Andross's insignia traveled through the void of space.

Passing through Titania, Sector X, Fichina, until it reached the Meteo Asteroid Field.

Approaching the blue planet ahead, it picked up a transmission.

"Attention, unidentified ship. This is the Corneria Air Defense Force. State your purposs!"

The pilot didn't hesitate and picked the communicator up, establishing a link between both parties.

"My name is Peppy Hare from Team Star Fox, requesting permission to land."

"Peppy?!" A different voice from the earlier one spoke. "You're alive?! Slippy told me you died on Venom!"

"I know, Bill; There's a lot to be explained. If you don't mind, I need to speak with General Pepper urgently."

"Yo, sure thing. You can land on Katina and we'll let you give him a call."

Hearing this, Peppy grinned with malicious glee. "Excellent."

* * *

Fox sat alone in the bridge, playing a fighting game against the CPU.

No matter how hard he tried, or what character he used, the CPU would always win.

Which was unusual, because Fox was pretty darn good with that game.

This time was different, something was stopping him from concentrating.

But what could it be? Fox thought.

The first thing that came to his mind was Falco.

He couldn't believe he was about to think this, but he actually missed playing with him.

Sure, Falco was an asshole, but he was a fun asshole to be around with... And now, he's gone.

The second thing was Peppy.

How many times would Peppy barge in the room and yell at everyone to stop playing?

That they needed to be training for the war instead, or because they needed to speak with the general?

Though sometimes he felt like a grumpy old man, Peppy truly cared for each one of them... Now, he's gone too.

The third thing was Slippy.

He was the one who made games like the one he was playing right now, for him and Falco to compete against each other.

Sometimes, he'd even have a crack at playing against one of them and fail miserably, despite being the one who developed the game.

And now, while he might not be gone, Fox pushed him away.

The last thing that came to his mind was the culprit, Wolf O'Donnell.

If there was anything Fox could project Wolf on, it'd be the CPU he was trying to defeat.

No matter how many times he had defeat him in the past, he still felt like a loser in the end.

Falco... Peppy... Slippy... His own father... All of them were pushed away because of Wolf.

Fox put the joystick down and turned off the videogame, covering his face with a palm.

_Always, it's you, Wolf! Always your fault! Why do I still even bother with you?!_

* * *

"Seriously, I can't believe you're still alive, Peppy!"

The grey canine commented while they walked through the Katina base.

"Me neither! Escaping alive from the same place twice is just pure luck!"

"Yeah... So, you're gonna give the news to Fox in person or you want me to do that for ya?"

"NO!" He screamed from behind and both stopped walking. Bill looked back as the hare continued.

"I don't want _anyone_ from Star Fox to know I'm here, this meeting is supposed to be classified, understood?!"

"Uh... sure, but... why?" The puzzled canine asked, making Peppy shove him roughly and forcing him to walk.

"Just take me to the general, I don't have to explain anything to you!"

Bill couldn't help but feel a little weird about the way Peppy was acting.

This was nothing like the 'cool old guy' he knew from his academy days.

Maybe he's been tortured, and that's why he's acting so strange? He thought.

They shortly arrived in the communications room, and Bill ordered one of the operatives to contact General Pepper.

After a little time of wait, the sand-colored hound was displayed in a large screen in front of Peppy.

"General Pepper here, what's the stat-" He cut himself off and recognized a brown hare standing among the crowd.

"Peppy?! Is that really you?!" Pepper said while leaning closer to the camera. "B... but... I thought you were-"

"Dead?" The hare completed his sentence. "Is that what Star Fox have been telling you?"

Pepper nodded in agreement, prompting the old hare to continue.

"Tell me, Pepper. Haven't you noticed Star Fox has been acting quite strange lately?"

"Y-yes, I did... Just a few days ago, Fox actually asked me to pardon Wolf O'Donnell. Can you believe it?!"

Peppy hung his head down and shook it in feign disappointment.

"I'm afraid our little boy has gone the wrong path, Pepper."

He muttered, then looked at the general straight in the eyes, making direct contact.

"The reason he's asked you to do this is because Star Fox are now spies working for Andross!"

Pepper was in disbelief, he gasped and stared at his friend in shock.

"N-no. This can't be! _We raised that kid,_ he would never-"

"I saw it myself! When I tried to rescue him from the Emperor, he shot me and ran away with Wolf."

"While I recovered, I have overheard the enemy talking about it, and now that I got to escape, I'm telling you this!"

" _Star Fox and his team are traitors to Corneria! They must be disposed of immediately!_ "

Bill watched in horror from the back of the room as Peppy shouted these words.

Pepper, on the other hand, couldn't help but shed some tears from the news.

After a few seconds, the general recomposed himself, and with a fierce glare in his eyes, he stated.

"Don't worry, Peppy. I'll take care of Fox and his team. They won't be tricking Corneria anymore!"

Pepper then turned his focus for all the present operatives in the room.

"Attention, Air Force of Katina! Star Fox is our enemy, and they are to be escorted to Corneria for execution A.S.A.P!"

As soon as the order was given, many soldiers left the room marching away in search of Star Fox.

Peppy then started grinning from ear to ear.

"Thank you, Pepper. I'm feeling much better knowing justice will be served."

"Yes... me too..." The general responded with a less than satisfied tone to his voice.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to have a private meeting with you Pepper; We need to discuss a few things."

"I agree, it would serve some good to the both of us." He replied. "Meet me at the Flight Academy, I'll be waiting for you there. Pepper _out!_ "

The hound's image had then disappeared from all monitors.

Bill was left in a state of shock, they just made his old pal Corneria's #1 enemy.

When he finally snapped out of it, he looked around and realized Peppy was gone.

Wasting no time, Bill had picked his comm up and tried to get in contact with whoever he could.

Something very wrong was going on, and he had to do something about it!

* * *

Back in the Great Fox's bridge, the thoughts about losing his team continued to haunt the vulpine's mind.

He laid back in the couch, staring blankly at the metal ceiling while ROB tried to inform him of something.

"Incoming. Message. From. Katina."

Fox got up from his seat and faced ROB.

He was ready to order the robot to play the message, only to be interrupted.

Suddenly, the radars detected a large Cornerian fleet coming towards their mother ship.

The vulpine ordered ROB to establish contact between them, and was greeted with a threat.

" _This is the Cornerian Air Defense Force. Team Star Fox, surrender yourselves immediately or we'll be forced to open fire!_ "

It was so confusing, what could Corneria be wanting from them?! Fox thought.

Regardless, the vulpine felt the best course of action was to comply, and granted them permission for docking.

After that, he reunited the whole team and prepared to present themselves at the docking bay.

Once they were assured of the oxygen; Wolf, Slippy, and Fox; had entered the area, where Cornerian soldiers awaited for them.

As soon as they did, all the troopers had their guns aimed directly at the trio.

They raised up their hands defensively while a few guards dashed for them and restrained the pilots.

"Hey, what the hell's going on?!" The vulpine tried to ask, being slammed to the ground as a result.

"Shut up, McCloud. You and your team are to be escorted to Corneria for execution!"

" _WHAT?!_ " Slippy screamed horrified while struggling to get free.

Soon after, Wolf and Fox broke free of their grasp and started to fight back.

Wolf used his hands from behind him to lift the soldier restraining him up and throw him against the floor.

Fox elbowed his restrainer in the stomach, then delivered a kick strong enough to knock him out.

More guards dashed for them and tried to fight the duo in vain.

The fight had escalated to a point where Fox and Wolf had to be shot.

Setting their weapons to 'stun' mode, a few soldiers had fired against both canines, knocking them out cold.

Slippy could only watch as his friends' bodies hit against the cold floor.

He was scared beyond imagination, all he could think about was how the three of them were about to get killed.

"Move!" Another soldier ordered while pushing the toad forward towards the awaiting carrier.

As soon as Fox and Wolf were taken inside, it blasted off in route to Corneria.

Escorting the Star Fox team to their fates.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Yasss! Yasss! I'm finally continuing the old fic :'D_

_Also, to the people on AO3, please stop asking if this fic has ended._

_The moment I stop it, I'll put a nice "THE END" at the end, as you do._

_Please, don't take this is an insult, It's just a bit jarring to know I receive an e-mail about a new comment and it turns out to be a question of "Has this fic ended?" when it clearly didn't._

_Oh, and props to FF dot net for ruining the formatting of this page. Really, THANK YOU._

_I wonder if there's anything in this text editor you don't mess up other than English words._


	24. The Last Argument

Wolf's head ached, he woke up to the sounds of a female-like sobbing.

No, it wasn't a girl that was crying, it was Slippy; He could recognize it now.

The canine opened his only eye and saw the toad's feet in front of his face.

At the same time, something not too heavy was laying on top of him.

He turned his head around and realized it was Fox's body, still unconscious.

Carefully, the lupine lifted the younger man off him and laid him against the floor.

After that, Wolf started analyzing his surroundings.

It was a small room, almost looking like a train's passenger compartment.

Two benches on opposite sides of the room, a glass window leading to space, and a door with a barred peephole.

There was no knob, so it could probably only be opened from the other side, or electronically.

Wolf tried to recall what happened and how they got there.

There was a fight... He and Fox got shot... Oh, right. They were marked for execution.

One thing that wasn't quite clear in the lupine's mind was: why are Fox and Slippy also on the death row?

As far as he was aware, he was the only one that was up for execution, but now it has extended to them.

Could it be that the military is so sick of him they decided to kill whoever was on his side?

So many unanswered questions.

"What are we gonna do, Wolf?" The crying toad asked. "I... I don't wanna die."

As much as he wanted to give a hopeful answer, he couldn't think of one.

There were no possible allies he could think of, and getting out of there himself seemed unlikely.

He had gotten out of situations like these in the past, but this one was different, these people weren't stupid.

They knew what could possibly happen if they gave him a chance, after so many years of chasing him down.

Wolf remained silent, standing up and walking up to the door to take a look outside.

Guards could be seen passing by every now and then, some stopping to give him a look of disdain or telling him "What you're lookin' at?!"

The lupine grunted in frustration and tried to shift his gaze back to Slippy, but was surprised with a hard punch to his jaw.

After he had recovered and looked down, it was only a split second away from seeing Fox charging in to choke him.

The back of his head banged against the bars, and the lupine could feel the canine's hands pressing against his throat.

" _What the fuck did you do this time, Wolf?!_ " Fox demanded as he squeezed every inch of air out of him.

"I... didn't... do... anything..." He tried to say between intervals to breathe.

" _LIAR!_ " Fox shouted before slamming him against the door again. " _It's ALWAYS your fault! This execution, my team... Always, it's YOU!_ "

" _Fox, stop it!_ " Slippy screamed frantically, but the one he tried to reach paid no attention.

If that had gone on for longer than it did, the lupine would pass out, or worse.

He started to get really angry at the accusations thrown at him, and saw no other option than to retaliate.

Using the door as a boost to his feet, Wolf knelt Fox in the stomach, stunning him temporarily and releasing his grasp.

Wolf then took advantage of that small interval of time to pin the vulpine to the ground.

Fox was subsequently turned around and fell on his stomach, with Wolf's weight pressing against him.

He tried to counter by elbowing Wolf, but the lupine quickly grabbed both of his arms and restrained them.

With no way of escaping, Fox tried to squirm as much as he could to no avail.

The young pilot was forced to stay in that position until he ceased his struggles and calmed down.

Once he did, Wolf moved his muzzle close to Fox's ears, and started muttering to him.

"You badmouth your team, you hit them, you can't take care of your own damn self, then you decide to blame _me_ for it?!"

Wolf waited a little more before finally releasing him, while Fox stayed immobile on the ground.

"Why don't you start blaming _you,_ for a change?!" He added.

Meanwhile, Fox remained motionless.

It wouldn't be before a few seconds that he'd even get on all fours, albeit very slowly.

"Oh, man up, pup! I didn't kick you _that_ hard." Wolf told him while the vulpine stood up in one knee.

A few drops of water suddenly started to fall to the ground, marking the floor with a few black spots.

Wasn't long before Wolf noticed this, he looked up and realized the source was Fox himself.

_He's... crying?!_ The lupine thought, that would be the very first time he'd ever seen Fox cry.

To him, Fox had always shown himself to be an emotionless military soldier, but this was no longer the case.

The vulpine finally managed to stand on his feet, he turned around and shown him his usual glare, now mixed with his tears.

"None of this would've happened if you had just stayed dead on Venom, like you were supposed to!"

Fox said while gritting his teeth the whole time, then lashing out. " _Why, Wolf?! Why won't you just stay dead?! WHY?!_ "

*BANG!* Wolf jumped back when something had hit against the door, he looked back and saw a guard yelling. " _Shut the fuck up, all of you!_ "

The trio remained silent and didn't move from their position until the hound had moved away.

After that, Fox wiped the tears off his face and sat down beside Slippy, staring blankly at the floor.

Wolf then followed suit and sat in the opposite bench, muttering these words to the vulpine.

"If it makes you feel happy, I just might in a few hour-"

" _Shut up! Don't talk to me! Just let me die alone already!_ "

Fox's screams suddenly cut him off as the canine held his head down with both arms.

Wolf really didn't want to escalate it any further; Another fight, and they would die sooner than they should.

He just left the man in peace and started to think about the brief future.

_It'll all be over soon..._

* * *

Over the front square of the Flight Academy, a lone sandy hound sat in a bench.

General Pepper wore casual clothing, along with a pair of shades, making sure no one would recognize him.

He kept looking for signs of Peppy's presence in the crowd. Brown fur; Long ears; Red eyes; Pointy teeth.

Many cadets strolled by and kept gossiping about the dog sitting in the bench, snickering something about him.

With a heavy sigh, the general thought maybe he should've considered a better location.

After what seemed like an eternity, he spotted the features he looked for in a man.

To make it easier, the man was wearing the Star Fox uniform... it was him!

Pepper got up from his seat and waved to the approaching hare.

Meanwhile, Peppy saw this stupidly dressed old guy waving at him.

He thought about it for a while and realized by the fur color it was the general.

Walking up to him and stretching out his hand, he expected nothing but a hand-shake.

That wasn't what happened, as Pepper enveloped his lost friend into a hug.

"Oh, Peppy. I'm so glad you're alright!"

What Pepper didn't know was that the physical contact was _disgusting_ the other man.

Peppy's stretched out hands twitched in mid-air past the general, not wanting to return the affection.

"Y-yeah, I'm glad I'm alright too..."

He said in a less than pleased tone of voice, finally finding the strength to lightly shove the hound away.

Peppy was sure acting weird, thought Pepper; So he found appropriate to ask. "Is something bothering you?"

The hare opened his mouth and was about to say something, but was crudely interrupted.

"Oh no, don't need to answer; Spending a few days on Venom must've been horrifying enough as it is."

Once more, he tried to communicate, only to be cut off by the talkative general.

"Yes, I know; Forgive me. Though, I'm intrigued. Why did you ask to meet me in private? Must be _very_ important."

Peppy glared at him for a few seconds, making sure he wouldn't be prevented from speaking again.

Nothing came out of the dog's mouth for a while, and his patience had already worn out by that point.

So, he spoke very briefly and directly. "Follow me!" As stern as it could be.

The next thing Pepper knew, his friend was walking away without looking back.

"Hey, wait for me!" Shouted the general as he started to follow the hare.

* * *

Some time later, the old comrades found themselves walking through the nearby woods.

And during this time, Peppy was struggling hard not to shoot that stupid dog in broad daylight.

Granted, that would ruin the entire plan, but it would feel _very_ satisfying for him.

No matter what happened, Pepper wouldn't stop talking about everything.

Random topics, past adventures, his duties as a general; How could he tolerate this man? It was a mystery.

"...and I gotta say, you freed me from some big mess, I'll tell ya. I was _just about_ to pardon that maniac, Wolf." The hound spoke in a cheerful tone, then continued with a laugh. "Haha~! Can you imagine all the mess I'd have to face if I ever came around to doing it? Huh, Peppy?"

The hare was largely disinterested, merely growling in anger; A response he'd been used to give by now.

"Yes, I agree with you; I can't stand him either. The man murders James, works for the people that betrayed him, and now he makes his son work for them too? Ugh! I really don't know what James saw in that psychopath; If he hadn't stopped us, Andross could well be dead by now."

Pepper finished as he finally started to realize where they were.

He knew his friend had invited him for a private meeting, but a deserted forest seemed radical.

Was it so important that they needed to talk in a place with no technology, so they wouldn't be recorded?

"Um... Peppy? Where are you taking me again?"

He asked while they continued to walk, and the hare responded without even looking back.

''You're gonna see in a while... Now, _SHUT - UP!_ "

While taken aback by the sudden mood swing, the general held no grudges.

After all, it wasn't him that spent a good amount of time on Venom.

So he just stated in a lecturing, non-reprimanding tone.

"Pain and torture are no reason for rudeness, my friend!"

Peppy suddenly stopped walking, he couldn't take it anymore.

His hands twitched viciously and his mind was clouded with thoughts of beating that dumb dog into a pulp.

_You know what?! Screw it, nobody's looking anyway!_ With a swift motion, Peppy grabbed his blaster.

Setting it to 'stun mode,' he aimed it straight at General Pepper.

The poor general barely had time to react before he was shot and lost consciousness.

He fell into the hare's arms, who tossed him over the shoulder and carried him back to his ship.

* * *

The time had come.

All three pilots were escorted out of their cell blindfolded and hand-tied.

There was a little struggle, of course, but it went just as unsuccessful as their previous attempt.

Now landing in a docking station located in the outskirts of Corneria City, the carrier opened its doors to let its passengers out.

Fox, Wolf, and Slippy were all brought to an open yard in the base, where they were lined up against a chain-link fence.

Their hands were untied only to be tied again to the fence, rendering any attempts of escaping futile.

All the three pilots could nothing now, but listen to the guards' sounds and anxiously wait for the moment when it all ends.

Bodies sweating, feet shaking, stuttering breathing; A long while passed with them acting like this in such position.

Their minds left to wonder if the Cornerians were merely toying with them before pressing against the trigger.

More time passed, and voices coming from an argument finally cleared things up.

_"What are we waiting for?! Are we gonna shoot 'em up or not?!"_

_"You know we can't do that until General Pepper arrives."_

_"What's he gotta do with anything?! Is this an execution or what?!"_

_"He has a history with the McCloud family, this case is different."_

_"Hmph! I bet the old coot is just gonna let them go like he always does. That idiot has no spine!"_

_"That's enough! Return to your post and stay silent, private!"_

It was something of a relief for them to know Pepper didn't just ask to kill them outright.

Maybe there was still a chance of escaping, after all.

None of them even know why they were being called for execution in the first place.

Probably, when the general got there, he'd have a talk with Fox first, and they could clear things out.

At least, that was what he was hoping for.

They waited and waited until the general arrived, keeping their ears up for the sound of any approaching ships.

After what seemed like an eternity, the wind echoed with the engines of a few fighter ships coming in the distance.

From the Cornerians' perspective, they could see a group of three; A blue ship, a green one, and a pink one.

" _It's the Arwing! We're under attack!_ "

One of the guards screamed.

Shortly after, the green aircraft had fired a bomb aimed straight at them.

" _Fire in the hole!_ "

Everyone, including the captives, heard their shouts.

" _What's going on?!_ " Slippy hysterically screamed.

The soldiers quickly dispersed and tried to avoid the bomb explosion.

Looking back a final time before it hit the ground, all of their senses were instantaneously gone.

Fox, Wolf and Slippy strangely didn't get hurt by the 'bomb'; But a loud, penetrating sound rendered their hearing mute.

" _Dammit! Flashbang!_ " One of the guards exclaimed before hitting the ground, followed by his comrades.

While still deaf and slightly disoriented, Fox could still feel someone messing with his hand-tie behind his back.

Shortly after, the pressure was gone, his hands were free. He then used them to remove the blindfold.

He turned around and could see the silhouette of a grey dog hiding behind the fence.

"Fox, you jackass; Stop getting yourself in trouble. You're gonna make me sick!"

"B-Bill?!" The vulpine asked, despite not being able to hear him clearly.

Wolf was the next one to be untied.

As soon as he could move again, he turned around and caught the sight of a pink she-cat.

The kitten then looked at him seductively and said. "Oh my~! Aren't you just _handsome?!_ " Asked her with a wink.

Jumping back, the canine backed off extremely flustered.

He faced away from her just in time to notice the Cornerian recovering from the blast.

His eyes then darted to Slippy, who was still tied to the fence and crying incomprehensible gibberish.

" _Pup! Help me out with froggy here, quick!_ "

Fox barely heard Wolf scream and shifted his gaze to Slippy.

He rushed to his direction and started helping him untie the toad, while telling him. " _Don't call me pup!_ "

Meanwhile, Bill and Katt reached for their blasters, stun-shooting the soldiers behind the fence one by one to give them time.

Once Slippy was free, they removed his blindfold and he immediately started clinging to Wolf, fearing for his life.

Fox then turned to Bill and asked him. "Can you tell us what the hell is going on?! Why are they trying to execute us?!"

"We tell you once we get to the Great Fox. It won't be long before they start hunting us down!" Katt warned them, then pointed to the wilderness. "Our ships are over there, get over here so we can leave!"

The trio then looked up at the tall fence, and realized it'd be faster if they climbed it up and jumped to the other side.

Fox was the first one to land, followed by Wolf, and then they had to wait for Slippy, who was climbing it at an agonizingly slow rate.

The toad eventually reached the top and tried to put his feet to the other side, while everyone else kept yelling at him to hurry up.

As a result, he ended up tripping, falling backwards and landing on top of all the other four, who tried to catch him at the same time.

"N-now I know why Falco hates you so much..." Katt stated while she tried to recompose herself.

"Is everyone okay?" Bill asked as the rest of the group managed to stand up, earning a positive response from them.

Meanwhile, Falco was waiting in the middle of the hills, leaning against his Arwing.

Some time later, he spotted a group of five people coming in his direction.

"What took you so long?" The avian asked once everyone gathered, before laying his eyes on Wolf. "And why are we saving _him?!_ "

The lupine growled at the remark, but Katt stepped in front of him and answered.

"Was I not supposed to? I mean, someone this good-looking _has_ to be good." She then turned around and laid her eyes on Wolf. "Isn't that right, big guy?"

Wolf was so flustered and paralyzed by her words, he kept stuttering nonsense. "I... Ehm... Um... Bu... To... Ey..."

Suddenly, Slippy jumped out of nowhere in front of Falco and started yelling at him.

" _YOU GUYS CAN FIGHT ALL YOU WANT AFTER WE GET OUT OF HERE! OR DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?!_"

"Hmph, fine." Falco grunted, before climbing back to his ship. "Hop in!"

Slippy didn't waste time and jumped straight to the cockpit, landing on top of Falco.

Fox was next, climbing to Bill's ship and adjusting himself to the back, while the hound took the pilot seat.

Lastly, there was Wolf, who stared with a uncomfortable expression at Katt's ship. _Why did it have to be pink, to boot?!_

"So, big guy? Are you gonna ride it or not?" She asked while standing in front of it and inviting him to get in. "I'll let you be the pilot~!"

As scared as he was of the prospect, there was no other choice for Wolf, so he just slowly climbed in and took the seat.

Katt then surprised him by jumping straight into his lap and shutting the canopy glass locked without warning.

"Ready whenever you are~!" She said while spreading her arms backwards and enveloping Wolf in them.

This whole experience felt so weird to him.

He'd been through many challenges in life, but nothing felt as _horrifying_ as this.

Wolf tried desperately to clear his mind by focusing on the controls.

Maybe a bit of piloting would make him forget about Katt's advances.

However, it wouldn't be the flying that would make him shift his undivided attention in that instant.

Upon starting the take off procedures, Wolf noticed something extremely strange about her ship.

_These consoles... they look and operate exactly like the ones from Andross's aircraft._

Before he could dwell on it further, Falco's face popped up in the communications' feed.

" _Hey, you! Stop getting frisky with Katt and catch up, you idiot!_ " The avian yelled at him, earning a chuckle out of the kitten.

Wolf felt his face become red from embarrassment and rushed to get the engines moving.

Soon, the ship was floating off the ground and blasted off into outer space.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Well, this chapter came off a little more comedic than what I had in mind._

_But oh well, a little fun is good after all the doom and gloom that were in the previous chapters._

_See you next time!_


	25. Redemption

After much flying, the three vehicles arrived at the now abandoned mother-ship, the Great Fox.

ROB, who still operated normally, received a message from Falco's Arwing to open the gates.

The robot complied, and all ships soon docked into the docking bay.

Once the oxygen had settled in, their canopies shot open and the pilots had jumped down.

Everyone, except Katt and Wolf; The lupine eyeing her with disgust.

As if it wasn't enough to stay the whole trip cuddling against him in countless positions...

Now, she had the audacity to stay there looking at him as if she wanted to be carried out bride-style.

Wolf was trying to muster the courage to tell her to get lost, but luckily, Falco saved him the effort.

" _Hands off her, Casanova!_ " The enraged pheasant told him while yanking Katt out of the cockpit.

Although Wolf wouldn't admit it, he was glad he came to save him from that pink little freak.

* * *

As the six of them headed for the Bridge, Katt continued to tease Wolf rather obviously.

The lupine winced at every advance she'd make, and Slippy couldn't help but notice it.

"Why are you acting like this?" The small toad asked whispering to him.

"It's not me, it's _her_." He gave a nod in the cat's direction as a pointer.

When he saw it, Slippy couldn't help but snicker. "What's the matter? Never talked to a girl before?"

Embarrassment painted the wolf's face red, and he answered. "...Not really."

" _What?!_ " The astonished toad exclaimed. "Never ever ever ever?!"

As a response, Wolf just shook his head negatively.

Slippy then asked him. "Did you live in a cave or something?!"

The flustered canine then looked away and mumbled under his breath. "You could say so."

All of them continued to walk, and sooner than later, Katt was blowing another kiss to Wolf.

Slippy snickered once more at the way he winced and told him. "Chill out, she's not into you."

Wolf then turned to face him with incredulity and asked. "Then why does she keep doing that?!"

"Because _she_ wants someone _else's_ attention." The toad suggested, pointing to Falco with his head.

The avian could be seen growling and glaring at her every time the pink feline decided to get flirty.

Realization then hit Wolf like a jackhammer, and he could finally relax his nerves.

Upon reaching their destination, all pilots had accommodated themselves over different spots in the Bridge.

Slippy and Wolf decided to sit in a couch in one side of the room, Falco and Katt in the opposite one.

Fox rested against a wall in the corner, and Bill positioned himself in the center to make sure everyone hears him.

"Mind telling us what the hell is going on, now?" Fox was the first to ask, followed by Slippy. "Yeah, we didn't do anything!"

"Alright, listen." Bill started. "Some time ago, we've detected an unidentified ship wandering through Meteo. We've made contact with the pilot, and as it's turned out, the pilot was no one other than Peppy himself!"

"P... Peppy?!" Fox was frozen in place, unable to believe his words.

After hearing this, Slippy roughly nudged Wolf, whispering with anger. "You said he was dead!"

Wolf nudged back and whispered to him in response. "I said he _looked dead to me_ , big difference!"

Fox then snapped out of his initial shock and asked.

"A-are you sure it was Peppy, Bill?! I mean, he's dead, isn't he?!"

"Positive; He looked, sounded, and acted just like him. But at the same time, he didn't _feel_ like himself."

"What do you mean?" Slippy questioned.

"He kept calling Fox 'Star Fox', treated me like garbage, called Andross the 'emperor'..."

"Now I get it, he's been brainwashed." Wolf commented, all eyes across the room focusing on him.

"Yeah, right. This kind of technology doesn't even exist yet!" Falco commented back.

"Not on Corneria, no. Andross, on the other hand..."

Bill then cleared his throat loudly, earning everyone's attention back.

"Anyway, after Peppy had paid us a visit back on Katina, he accused you all of working as spies for Venom. The general then ordered you guys to be brought for execution to Corneria. I tried warning you guys about it, but I couldn't reach you on time."

For a moment, Fox and Wolf glared at each other.

The vulpine felt a little sorry for wrongly accusing him, but brushed it off as soon as it came.

"Lucky for me, Falco just so happened to be passing by at the time, and he intercepted my message." All eyes then laid on Falco. "I explained the whole thing to him, and he called Katt and agreed to help me go save your guys from execution."

The avian looked away in embarrassment and said. "It was Katt's idea."

To which she replied by giggling and mumbling. "Sure it was."

Slippy then turned to Bill and asked him.

"So, what do we do now? We can't talk to the general, and Peppy's still out there!"

"Speaking of the general, Peppy asked to have a private meeting with him before leaving. Know what that means?"

Fox processed the facts for a moment, then muttered. "...Fuck!"

"Don't worry, guys. I asked someone to place a tracker on his ship before he left, right here!"

The canine then pulled out a data storage device out of his pocket.

He walked to a nearby console and injected the program into the computer.

Soon after, a simulation of the Meteo Asteroid Field was displayed in front of them.

Peppy's ship blinked as it coursed through the area heading for Solar.

"It's going straight back to Venom." Falco stated.

"We gotta stop him!" Fox added, turning to their robot. "ROB, follow that ship!"

After a brief confirmation, the mother-ship changed its course and left the Cornerian orbit, heading for Meteo.

The fox then placed his hands on his hips and gloated. "Well, that settles it! We're taking Peppy back and we'll clear our names!"

"You think we can handle it, just the six of us?" Katt asked from her seat, with Falco responding.

"We did it once, we can do it again. Though... I'm not sure about... _him_." He spat, pointing at Wolf.

The lupine growled in anger and shot up from his seat. "You got a problem with me, birdie?!"

"Oh, I've got plenty. Just by you being here, we could all be in danger right now!"

Slippy then stepped in front of Wolf and said. "Don't talk about Wolf like that, Falco. He's now a member of Star Fox!"

"He is?!" Falco asked, his jaw dropping to the floor. He then turned to Fox and asked. "You mean... you picked _him_ for your team?!"

Fox just shrugged and answered. "You left me with two Arwings and a Slippy, do the math."

" _Hey!_ " An indignant Slippy shouted from his position.

"No way! I'm not flying alongside that back-stabbing prick!" The avian continued.

"Chill out, Falco, This is everyone's problem now!" Bill tried to retort, but it was in vain.

"It's _your_ problem. You might have a death wish, but I don't!" He then turned to Fox and said. "Let's make a deal, Fox. You get rid of him, and I join your team again."

"Hey, you can't do that-" Wolf tried to defend himself, only to be cut off.

"Shut the fuck up, you! This is about me and Fox here!" Falco then returned to stare at the vulpine. "So... what's it gonna be?!"

Slippy did the same and stepped in. "Fox, you're not really thinking about doing that, are you?"

His leader thought about the offer for a second, throwing a quick glance at Wolf, then another one at Falco.

It was as clear as day what he had decided once he looked at the pheasant once more and asked.

"Mind sparing me a blaster, Falco?" The avian grinned victoriously and tossed his gun to his leader.

Meanwhile, Slippy was screaming for Fox to reconsider and standing in front of Wolf as a living shield.

Bill and Katt were indifferent to what happened, while Wolf stood in place knowing he had no chance to escape.

The lupine watched paralyzed in shock as the gun reached Fox's hand as he quickly set its mode to 'kill.'

Before the worst could happen, Wolf asked for one last request. " _Wait! We need to talk!_ " He yelled.

Fox then pointed the nose of his blaster at him and said. "There's nothing for us to talk about."

" _It's about your father!_ " Wolf tried one more time, covering his face for the blast.

A few seconds passed by and nothing came.

Wolf opened his eye and peeked out, seeing Fox had lowered his weapon.

"Oh, come on! Don't chicken out of it now, _do it!_ " Falco shouted from his seat.

Fox turned to him and said as cocky as he could. "Don't worry about it, it's only gonna take a while."

He then returned his stare back to Wolf and ordered. "Follow me!"

* * *

Despite the numerous warnings from Falco, Fox had accepted to have a private talk with Wolf.

For the location, he chose an interrogation room next to the brig, ensuring no one could overhear them.

Neither canine bothered to sit in the table or the chairs available, opting to stand against the wall, staring at each other.

Fox then broke the silence and asked the first question. "What do you know about my father?!"

And before he could get a clear answer, Wolf grumbled. "First off, I want an apology."

"An apology?!" The vulpine said with a chuckle. "For what? For being a traitorous piece of shit?!"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about; Back in that cell block, you accused me of a bunch of stuff that wasn't true. _I'm owed an apology!_ "

Fox stared at him for a few seconds deadpan, ultimately deciding to play along.

"Fine. I'm _sorry_ I punched you and all that!" He said in an exaggerated manner.

"That's gotta be the fakest shit I've ever heard. At least, _try_ to sound like you mean it!"

"You know what? I don't owe you shit! _You_ should just be glad I'm not killing you outright! Now stop beating about the bush and get to it!"

Wolf then drew a heavy sigh and started rubbing his temples. "Look... it's a long story. I'm just trying to find where to start."

"I'll give you ten seconds. Nine... Eight..."

"Alright, alright... Me and your father..." Wolf started to talk between pauses, trying to find the best way to put his words. "We used to know each other back then. A few years ago, I used to be part of a gang of space pirates, and your father... Well, he was sent to deal with us quite often. Me and the other guys had decent training, but James was an top-notch pilot; He used to kick our asses every time he showed up."

"Straight to the point, Wolf!" An impatient Fox told him.

Wolf growled and screamed " _I'll get there, alright?! I told you it was a long story!_ "

Fox just huffed and crossed his arms as a response, giving Wolf space to continue.

"So... James McCloud wasn't really the normal kind of mercenary; Like, getting to kill people for a paycheck and not giving a damn about them... He wasn't like that. When we got our first defeat against him, we were captured. And instead of just escorting us back to Corneria, he actually let us go! Heh, I couldn't believe it when I saw it, the guy even fixed our ships for us back when we were here. The reason he did that was because we were young, I was probably in my sixteens back then. Instead of seeing us as a bunch of thieves, he just saw us as a bunch of kids who didn't know what they were doing; So he let us go."

"Everything changed after that. We still battled with each other constantly, and even though we were on the losing end, we started to learn with James; We had become better pilots ourselves, who could even rival Star Fox's skills. Because of that, Corneria got fed up with us and placed a bounty on our heads. When he heard about it, James asked the army to put it on hold. We had some strange sense of friendship for each other, so he asked to come to our hideout, and we took him with open arms. He talked with us for a bit, tried to convince us to leave piracy, saying he'd pardon all of us and get us back on track."

 _Oh~! So, my father saves your ass and you repay him by killing him._ Fox concluded sarcastically in his mind.

Wolf then sighed and continued. "Some time later, our hideout was attacked by a group of Cornerian soldiers; They just came out of nowhere and started shooting at everything on sight. Me and my friends tried the best we could to defend ourselves, but-" The lupine cut himself off, struggling to speak the rest of his story. "-b-but in the end... Everyone... They died... And I was left with... _this!_ " Wolf then removed his eye-patch and revealed what was behind it; A large scar cutting through his half-opened crimson eye. "I couldn't forgive him after that... I promised myself I'd destroy him and everything he cared for."

"Are you accusing _my father_ of being a shameless double-crosser like _you?!_ "

Fox angrily asked him.

"Who else could've done it?! The guy asks to meet with us, and not even a few days later, we get a bunch of his people banging in our door?!"

" _Liar! My father would never do something like that!_ " The vulpine snapped. "You _think,_ even if I believed your little _sob story_ , I'd forgive you for killing him?! _Never!_ "

"I know you wouldn't, but listen to me for a second!"

"Oh, yeah. Listen to me guilt-trip you so hard you're not gonna try to kill me, ain't that right? You son of a-"

" _I DIDN'T KILL YOUR FATHER ! ! !_ " Wolf screamed at the top of his lungs, rendering Fox speechless.

The vulpine's brain faltered, trying over and over again to process these words and failing miserably.

After many failed attempts, Fox finally asked. "W... what did you just say?!"

"You heard me, he's not dead."

"That's... you're lying!" Fox shouted, shaking his head in disbelief. "You and Pigma rubbed it on me for the whole war!"

"Tch... that was just to throw you off." Wolf casually stated, facing away.

"B-besides... If he's not dead, then _where is he?!_ It's been years now, and we haven't seen anything to say he's alive!"

Wolf then slowly turned to face Fox and said. "...You heard him too, didn't you?"

"Heard... him? What are you-"

"Slippy told me about the 'ghost' you saw on Andross's base. Guess what? I heard him too, back in that cave."

Fox's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, he only resorted to listen.

"When I used to work for Andross, I remember hearing about this thing he was working on; It's called the 'Telekinetic Amplifier.' Right after we shot down James, Andross had ordered us to keep him alive; He never said why he did it. This might sound crazy, but I think he used this machine on your father, and that's why we keep seeing and hearing him popping around at random. Andross probably used this machine on your friend too to brainwash him, so wherever he's taking General Pepper, we can find your father there and save all of them together."

As Wolf finished explaining, Fox's cheeks widened and he started laughing between shudders.

He thought he had gone crazy, he thought it was just an illusion, but no. His father _was_ alive, after all!

All the sadness he felt for years, all the pain was now gone. He was going to get his father back!

And Wolf was going to help- Wolf... When he thought of the lupine, the joy he felt vanished as fast as it came.

Images of when they first met lingered in his mind. The beat-down he suffered, all their dogfights, the insults exchanged...

"Hold on!" The vulpine suddenly shouted. "If my father was the asshole you said he was, then why are you helping me save him?!"

"Because your father _wasn't_ an asshole, I was just an idiot!" Wolf responded with a rather broken voice.

 _Well, at least I can agree on that._ Fox thought and nodded. "Go on!"

"After the attack, I was left wounded on my base. I thought I was gonna die there, was even thinking about killing myself at some point; But then, someone came and saved me, and they gave me a chance to get revenge on your father if I joined Andross's army. Can you guess who they were?" Fox shook his head at the question, prompting Wolf to answer. "It was Pigma."

"Pigma?! You mean-"

"Yeah, the same one. I never really thought about this whole thing up until recently, I was so obsessed with getting revenge I wasn't really thinking straight... About why Pigma would save me, or even why James would betray me just like that. I mean, if he wanted us dead, he could've done it a long time before... Heck, he could've done it the moment he stepped in our turf... That's when I realized, I was played." Wolf started laughing, settling down in one of the chairs nearby. " _They fucking played me, and I spent my whole life hunting down the wrong people!_ "

As he laughed, Fox muttered something under his breath. "So that's why you killed Pigma back then..."

Wolf's mood then suddenly shifted to anger, culminating into a loud *BANG* of his fists against the table.

The lupine looked at him with a sorry expression, and said. "I'm no saint, Fox. I've done a lot of shit in my life, shit that I'm not really proud of. But give me another chance to play nice guy here! If we work together, we can get your father back, and you'll never see me again... I promise."

Without regret or hesitation, Fox then closed his eyes and sharply responded...

* * *

"Wolf's coming with us!"

Mixed reactions were received among the crew in the Bridge.

Slippy felt relieved, Bill was slightly disappointed, and Falco was frozen in shock.

"You _have_ to be kidding, right?!" As the avian said it, Wolf had stepped into the room.

"Sorry, bird; I'm here to stay. Deal with it!" The lupine replied with a shrug and a smug grin.

Falco then glared at Fox and started to storm in his direction. "I can't believe this... _I can't believe this!_ You picked him over me, _me!_ Who saved your ass god-knows-how-many-times! And what did _he_ do for you?! Other than trying to _kill you_ since forever, eh Fox?! _What did he?!_ " The vulpine remained silent, facing away as he couldn't answer. "This why your team sucks! _This is why YOU suck!_ You and your goddamn father can't pick anyone-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Falco felt a hard fist connect against his jaw.

The impact had made the poor avian land at least 10 feet away from his original position.

He rubbed the feathers on his face, and once he looked back, all he could see was Wolf standing in front of Fox with a stretched out fist.

"If you know what's good for you, you're gonna keep that stupid beak of yours shut!" The lupine spat, cracking his knuckles.

"Motherfucker!" Falco yelled before the usually cool Katt stepped in front of him and aimed her blaster at Wolf.

"Leave him to me!" The angry she-cat spoke through her teeth before firing a few blasts at him.

Wolf skillfully dodged her shots and darted towards her, curling his hand into a hard fist with the intent of hitting her.

As he took the leap and threw the punch, it was blocked in mid-air by no one other than Fox himself, who jumped in front of them.

"Stop it! Both of you!" The vulpine ordered before letting go of Wolf's hand, then throwing a punch of his own to his jaw. "Wolf! Who the hell asked you to defend me?! Mind your own business!" He then turned around and looked at the downed avian and the angry feline. "Falco! You and your girlfriend can just leave this ship right now for all I care! Like it or not, Wolf's gonna stay and _that's it!_ "

The pheasant got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

"Hmph! Like I want to stay on such a shit team such as yours!"

Without saying another word, he directed himself towards the exit.

Katt stayed a while longer to glare at Wolf and tell him.

"Just so you know, pretty boy. The only one who can hit Falco is _me!_ "

Wolf then bent down to her eye level and muttered. "...I don't give a shit."

The feline just grunted and walked off, her nose ever stuck-up so high.

"Hey ROB, how much 'til we get to Venom?" Fox asked to the golden robot.

"Estimation. Thirty. Five. Hours. Thirteen. Minutes. Seven. Seconds."

"Good!" The vulpine said before stretching out and giving a yawn, walking off himself.

"Where are you going, Fox?" Bill asked, earning a groggily reply out of him.

"Gonna take a _large_ bottle of drink, and pray this nightmare is over when I wake up."

"Wait up, bro!" The hound warned, suddenly placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm coming with ya!"

As soon as they got to the door, Fox turned back to the team's mechanic and said.

"Slippy, make sure they don't take any of the Arwings. We're gonna need those!"

"Leave it to me!" The toad exclaimed, mock-saluting his leader.

With everything set, the two canines left and moved towards the recreation room.

* * *

For about the twentieth time, Fox poured another dose of alcohol into his glass.

He was just finishing explaining about why he picked Wolf over Falco, as well as the theory of his father being alive.

"And that's about it." The vulpine said, already sounding like a mad drunk before taking another sip of his drink.

Bill had planted a palm onto his face and told him.

"Fox, dude, I love you and all, man; But sometimes, you're dumb as a rock!"

The vulpine plainly ignored him and continued drinking without a care in the world.

"Can't you see he's just using this whole 'ghost' thing to mess with your mind?!"

Fox set his glass down, turning to Bill and asking in a relaxed voice.

"Tell me something, will ya? You think I'm crazy?"

The hound analyzed his condition and took a few seconds to answer. "No... definitely not."

"Then fuck it!" The vulpine said, pouring another dose of alcohol into the glass. "Dad's there an' I'mma save him."

"I understand that, but... it's Wolf! You can't just toss aside that he's been trying to get you and your dad for ages!"

"Who's gonn' miss me, anyway?" The vulpine groggily asked before indulging in his drink.

" _I will!_ Look, if this is because of Falco, forget about him... You're a great leader, Fox! Even if... even if you trust Wolf."

Bill said, trailing off and hesitating in the last sentence.

Fox, on the other hand, was now completely intoxicated and couldn't speak properly.

"Jus' leamme alon, Bill. Leas' I need now's stress ov' my shit choices again..."

Deciding to let go, the hound patted his friend on the back and said. "Take it easy on the booze, buddy."

He stood up and walked away, with the vulpine grumbling at him out of reach. "Don' tell me wha' do!"

It didn't take long for Fox to pass out from all the liquor he'd been ingesting in that period of time.

Resting his head against the counter, he let the glass drop and spill its contents all over it.

Some time later, while the vulpine was still unconscious, another man had entered the room.

Seeing the young pilot in such condition, he approached him and placed one arm under his legs, another one around his scruff.

The figure pulled Fox up from the stool and into his arms, carrying the vulpine back to his quarters.

Once there, he rested the smaller man against the bed, who rolled into a fetal position before the covers were placed over him.

With both hands free, the man started brushing over the fox's head, stroking him between the ears.

"Sorry for pulling you guys into this mess, pup."

Wolf mumbled to himself, eventually removing his hand and leaving the place.

_I've pulled you into this, now I'll take you out of it... Even if I have to die for it._

_Just you wait, Fox... I'll fix everything._

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Sorry for the delay._

_I couldn't write this chapter in time because it's expository like hell and I had to try a billion variations of words to make it look convincing._

_Speaking of, I'll have to break my "one chapter a week" promise and work harder on the following ones. Why?  
_

_Well, I want to finish this fic within Chapter 30, so the next five ones will probably be a bit long and will take more time to create.  
_

_With that said, see you next time!_

_Oh, and this is not Falco and Katt's last appearance._


	26. Reunion - Part 1

As the time passed, the remaining group had reunited again in the Bridge to discuss their strategy. With Falco and Katt leaving the group, they could only struggle with how they should execute it.

"...as soon as we get there, Slippy will ride the Landmaster and head straight for the base" Fox explained to the toad. "Wolf and Bill, you two come with me and hold Andross's army back for as long as we can!"

"W-wait, why do _I_ have to invade the base?!" The toad protested stuttering with fear.

Fox looked at him straight in the eye and answered. "Look, our biggest priority here should be bringing the general back with his mind intact; And for that to happen, we can't waste _any_ second while we're on Venom, understood?"

The mechanic didn't say a word, rubbing his temples together and searching desperately for an idea.

Something ticked and he pulled the lupine close to his side, saying with a big smile on his face.

"Wolf used to work for Venom, he knows these bases better than any of us. He should go!"

"Uh... how can I say this?" The canine trailed off, shortly followed by Fox trying to explain in an awkward manner. "Listen... Slippy... We're going against a whole armada... _and like I said_ , we can't waste _any_ second."

Slippy eyed his captain for a moment and shook his head confused. "I don't get it."

In that moment, Bill joined the argument. "W-what Fox is trying to say is... We need the best of us in the sky and... and you're gonna be safer if we don't have to 'get that guy off you', you get it now?"

"Wow..." The toad nodded with an angry frown. "Thanks _a lot_ , guys."

"You better deal with it or get used to living with a bounty on your head."

Wolf said, trying to 'console' his friend, but only served to make him more anxious.

"It's gonna be fine, Slippy. These bases are mostly empty when the army is out fighting!"

Fox told him, followed by Wolf's sarcastic. "Yeah, just try to avoid all the wall lasers of death."

The vulpine then shot him a glare that meant all, but 'You're not helping.'

He then turned to everyone and asked. "So, are we set on what we're going to do?"

Bill shot him a thumbs up, Wolf a positive nod, but Slippy sat in place with crossed arms looking down.

"...Slippy?" Fox asked him for confirmation, receiving an 'alright' sigh from the toad shortly after.

"Alright, we're done here. Everyone get prepared for the attack!"

Fox finished. Everyone, sans Wolf, then shot up from their chairs.

The lupine, in turn, placed both arms behind his head and his feet on the table.

As Bill and Fox were leaving, the hound muttered to him. "You really should've picked Falco and Katt, Slippy's not gonna handle it by himself."

Wolf apparently overheard the statement and fixed his sights on the ceiling, thinking ' _Why do I feel like the whole universe has a hate-boner for me?_ '

"I know... But it's the best I could come up with for now. If we let Slippy fly with us, he's gonna end up killing himself, or worse, getting the whole team killed."

"But he's not gonna save the general in time. Slippy's a real nice guy, he's no fighter."

"Right now, he's our best bet. We can only hope he makes it."

The duo then reached the electronic doors and it swished open for them.

Before Bill could give another step, though, Fox stopped him.

"By the way, thanks for dragging me back to bed earlier, man. I owe you!"

The hound giggled and told him. "I didn't drag you back to bed, dude. You told me to leave you alone!"

Bill proceeded to walk away while Fox remained standing in place confused.

If it wasn't Bill, then who did? Slippy wouldn't have the strength to pull it off, so that leaves...

He slowly looked back into the Bridge one more time and set his eyes on Wolf.

The lupine was still staring at the ceiling, but eventually sensed someone was looking at him.

As soon as he moved his head, Fox quickly turned around to face straight forward once again.

With that new bit of information planted on his head, he tried to push the thought as far as he could to the back of his mind.

He then walked away as the doors closed shut behind him.

* * *

The black ship wandered through space, heading for Venom.

While the hare piloted the vehicle, his 'luggage' Pepper whined and squirmed in his spot as much as he could.

"God, even with your mouth shut, you're _still_ annoying as heck!" The hare complained.

The tied up general began to whine some more, something that sounded like a question to Peppy.

"Oh, don't worry, Pepper; You're gonna have your answers very soon!"

Several hours of travel later, the ship reached the Venomian atmosphere.

As it approached the underground base, Peppy had sent his ID and requested permission for docking.

Soon enough, both the hare and the hound stood in the middle of a docking bay, surrounded by primates.

With a gun pointed to his head, Pepper watched as a group of roughly twenty guards joined in and did the same.

Once the area was secured, a new figure entered the room surrounded by another group of soldiers to protect him.

Pepper tried to speak through muffled sounds, but it wasn't until Peppy finally removed the gag he could do it clearly.

"Andross!" The sand-colored dog shouted as he inhaled a small amount of oxygen.

"It's been a while, my old friend. You've grown quite different since we last met."

"I'm not your friend, you maniac." The enraged Pepper protested.

"Oh, you surely aren't. I learned that the hard way."

The ape came close to him, now both were standing face-to-face and glaring at each other.

"Why, Andross? Why can't you just leave things as they were before?!"

"You mean the world where all one needs for something to happen is an old, senile dog's word?! I don't think so."

"Don't try to paint yourself as the victim; You know what you've done and why you were exiled!"

"No, I was exiled because you _listened_ to all that baseless fear-mongering against me!" The ape spat.

" _Fear-mongering?!_ Just look what you've done to Zoness! To Aquas! _To Corneria!_ You _proved_ it."

Andross started to foam in anger as Pepper continued.

"I tried to do what I could, Andross; I tried to stop you from yourself, _but you wouldn't listen!_ "

"So your perfect solution was to exile me?! Then do the same to everyone I love?!"

"I had no other option, your decision had killed many of my people. And _your family_ planned to steal military weaponry, they're no innocents!"

"All they were doing was trying to save me from an unfair sentence, _they didn't intend to harm anyone!_ "

"Tell that to that psychopathic nephew of yours!"

"Why, you-"

The scuffle would've lasted much longer had Leon not entered the room to distract Andross with more important matters.

"...Pardon my intrusion, Emperor." The slim chameleon spoke as he knelt down before him. "But a large mothership expected to be Star Fox's is currently heading towards our base."

" _Star Fox?!_ " Andross yelled caught surprised. "This has to be a joke, you've _confirmed_ me they were lined up for execution already!"

Pepper then began to laugh softly and told him.

"Like you said, Andross. All you need is an old, senile dog's word for something to happen... But that dog is not there right now, is he?"

The hound's weak smile would eventually vanish as Andross formed a grin of satisfaction that began to grow bigger as he leaned in closer.

"That can easily be fixed, my friend." He muttered to the dog in his face. "Leon, prepare all fighters for battle; _Do not_ let them interrupt me."

"But, master... With the little left we have of our army, we'll be exterminated!" Peppy Hare commented with worry to the ape.

"They can all die for all I care, just make sure you slow them down enough for the transfer to be complete!"

"Transfer? _What_ transfer?!" The general of Corneria asked, receiving a push from one of the guards and being forced to walk.

"Don't worry about that, you'll know soon enough." Andross responded as he too made his exit.

With that, Andross, Pepper and a flock of guards surrounding them walked deeper into the base.

Peppy took a short moment to process it, but accepted his fate. If he was going to die for his Emperor, then so be it.

Leon, however, remained pensive. While he did contact the fighters to move out, that was merely a distraction for himself.

_Sorry, Andross; But this alliance of ours is a sinking ship now. You're on your own..._ The chameleon thought as he walked away.

* * *

After much ado, the moment had arrived.

Planet Venom came into view range, forcing ROB to signal all the pilots to move to the docking bay.

Fox, Bill and Wolf each had climbed into one of the available Arwings and prepared themselves, both physically and mentally for battle.

A short while after taking a long breathe, Fox turned all the systems on and established connection with the rest of the team.

"This is Fox to Team. Do you copy?" He spoke through the comm.

"Yup." Bill responded.

"Here." Followed by Wolf.

Noticing someone's absence, Fox asked "Where's Slippy?"

As if on cue, the toad had entered the docking bay, but not in his usual uniform.

He walked in wearing a protective armor that covered every inch of his body.

His eyes were the only thing that could be seen of him from the outside.

Opening the hatch to the Landmaster, Slippy hopped in inside.

"Hey, guys. Sorry for the wait, I had to do something for myself!"

"Ooookaaayyyy..." The weirded out Fox said, then turned to everyone and said. "Check your systems, Power Source?"

"Check." The rest of the team replied in unison.

"Plasma Generator?"

"Check." Bill commented.

"G-Diffuser System?"

"Absolutely checked." Wolf responded jokingly.

"Alright... time to move out!" Fox shouted, terminating the connection.

Soon, the gates of the docking bay started to open before them and the three ships blasted off into space.

Slippy remained inside, waiting for the Great Fox to be close enough to Venom's surface to deploy the Landmaster.

All Arwings were now flying side by side with their mothership in perfect synchrony.

As the planet's silhouette grew bigger in front of their eyes, Wolf saw fit to ask.

"So, you guys got any formation strategies or something?"

"Shoot the shit out of them." Fox bluntly responded.

"...I'll ask you to remind me later how my team lost against yours."

"No worries, Fox. I got your back!" Bill commented through the comm.

"Just curious, Bill. Did you ever fly an Arwing before? Do you know what you're doing?"

"For a while in our last visit to Venom, yeah. Don't sweat, it's pretty easy, I've got everything under control!"

"Sure, if you say so-" Fox's words were abruptly interrupted by Slippy's.

"Guys, watch out! ROB's detecting a large fleet incoming, right ahead of you!"

The toad's distressed voice alerted the other three of the black swarm forming in front of the planet's image.

Andross's army was approaching fast, putting everyone in the team on the edge.

"Shit, they've decided to start the party early." Bill commented, followed by Fox's orders.

"Slippy, ROB, cover us! The rest of you, take 'em out as much as you can and keep going no matter what!"

"Right!" Wolf, Slippy and Bill shouted in unison.

As the enemy came close to shooting range, the three fighters scattered and took on different flocks.

And from the edge of the docking bay, Slippy took random shots at every ship that spawned into view.

ROB, the robot, also assisted in covering the team with the weapons equipped in the mothership's hull.

It wasn't long until that area of space turned into a massive spectacle of lights flying everywhere.

The team pressed forward, breaking through the enemy fleet and the shower of plasma surrounding them.

Taking out an enemy there, dodging a few shots here, barrel-rolling out of a missile's way; Fox's team seemed invincible.

All was going fine, until... "Pup, look behind you!" Wolf's words arrived just on time for him to dodge another attack.

Fox followed the dodge with a somersault and got the chance to look at his attacker from above.

What he saw left him shocked, and he rushed to establish connection with the enemy ship.

"Peppy... you're alive!"

"Fox, pay attention, dammit!"

This time, Bill's ship flew below Fox's and reflected the blasts coming in his direction.

The vulpine then suddenly remembered he was in the middle of a war zone with hundreds of ships shooting at him.

"You okay, Fox?" The grey canine asked through the comm, but Fox ignored the question and reached for his ex-wingman.

"Peppy, what happened to you?! Why are you working for Andross?!"

As a response, the hare who was flying away performed a U-Turn and came back shooting straight at Fox's ship.

The team captain barrel-rolled all blasts and barely evaded when he saw Peppy trying to ram into him.

In that moment, Wolf tried reasoning with the vulpine.

"It's over, Fox. He's already been brainwashed by Andross, you have to take him out!"

" _No, there's gotta be another way!_ " Fox tried to defend, but Wolf wouldn't let him.

"If we don't do anything, we're gonna stay here forever and we're gonna lose the general. Is that what you want?!"

Fox held tight to his joystick and tried thinking of a way out, but another series of blasts to his Arwing would take him back to reality.

Peppy prepared for a second strike, but the vulpine U-Turned and flew to a completely different direction of space.

"Where are you going?!" Bill asked while evading more blasts from the fleet.

"You guys keep going and save the general, I'll keep Peppy distracted!"

"Are you crazy?! We're not gonna make it there without you, pup!" Wolf protested.

Fox didn't respond and let his ship fly beyond their range, followed closely by Peppy's.

Bill and Wolf wanted to follow, but with the current situation, they knew they couldn't.

Both continued to try to break through the enemy without Fox.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Andross's hideout.

Three of the guards forced Pepper inside of a tube container.

All of his limbs were strapped to a chair inside and they placed some sort of strange helmet on his head.

"What are you doing do to me?!" The terrified general asked, but his question would go unanswered.

The tube was then closed with Pepper encased inside; And as soon as it happened, the container was filled with smoke.

More as the general breathe the smoke, more he felt sleepy until he closed his eyelids and lost consciousness.

Pepper now laid dormant inside the tube with a satisfied Andross watching outside.

"Phase 1 complete!" A scientist operating the console commented.

"Perfect, prepare for phase 2!" Andross spoke, moving to another tube located nearby.

His guards then opened the container for him to enter inside himself.

As he sat down on the chair, the scientist typed a few commands on the keyboard.

The transfer procedure was ready to be executed, all he needed to do now was press one last button.

His finger came pretty close to tap the Confirm key, but out of nowhere, a gun blast destroyed the computer, scaring the guy away.

The resulting explosion caught the attention of everyone present in the room, who shifted their attention to the one guard who had his weapon ready.

" _What's the meaning of this?!_ " Andross yelled furiously at the guard, who strangely seemed to be some kind of blue feathered bird.

Rather than answering the question, the soldier decided to unload his machine-blaster on all the other guards surrounding the area.

The ongoing carnage immediately alerted Andross to run; He got up from his seat and darted off towards the nearest exit.

Andross approached the electronic doors, his feet touching on the spot that triggered them to automatically open before him.

However, beyond those doors, stood a pink-furred guard that forced Andross to stop on his tracks.

Before the ape could protest, the guard delivered a powerful kick to his chest that made him fall to the ground on his tail.

Whipping out their blaster, the soldier pointed it at Andross as they slowly walked towards him.

The terrified ape then started to crawl away while his minion slowly backed him into a corner.

As the walls hit his back and he saw no other choice but to get up, Andross asked " _Who are you?!_ "

"Oh, you mean you don't remember?!" A female voice came from the mask. "Well then, allow me to introduce myself."

Taking off her mask, the guard revealed herself to be a feline; The same one who ruined his plans on Zoness.

"The name's Katt Monroe, and don't you forget it."

"How the hell did a _little girl_ like you manage to get in my base?!"

"It wasn't hard, I just had to steal one of your ships... The ships you _used_ to ruin my planet!"

Andross was now standing up completely, looking sideways quickly for an escape.

"You're not with Star Fox, so what exactly do you plan to do with me?"

"Oh, nothing... Just having a little payback, that's it!" The cat finished with a giggle.

The ape then tried running away while she talked, but it proved ineffective as Katt shot his leg.

Andross slipped and fell to the floor, hugging his leg tight while whining in pain.

As it seemed, Katt had only fired a scratch shot at him.

She then proceeded to kneel down to his eye level and brought her hand to his chin.

Forcing the ape to look into her eyes, Katt muttered these words.

"Don't be scared, sugar. This is only gonna last a _while_..."

Katt then pointed to gun to Andross's other leg, once again firing a scratch shot at it.

She waited a few seconds, then did the same to his chest, each of his arms, his neck, and his face.

With each plasma blast that flew by him, Andross screamed as he felt his skin being taken off his body.

Blood oozed from every corner, and when the ape could no longer scream, he started to breathe desperately.

Apparently, that still wasn't enough to satiate Katt's almost sadistic treatment of him.

"What's that?! You wanted to die already?!" She laughed a little. "Oh, forgive me. I didn't know!"

With those words, Katt stood up and started firing direct hits at Andross.

The plasma pierced through his legs, arms, and the right side of his chest; She didn't want it to be fatal.

Her plan was for him to die slowly and painfully as much as he could. Just then, she would sleep well again.

Eventually, the lack of blood led the ape to feel nauseous.

His eyelids started to lose the strength to stay open, and closed shut after a while.

With a final grunt, Andross rested his head against his shoulders and lost consciousness.

"Now stay dead!"

Katt said before turning around and seeing the room full of dead bodies, all except for one.

"Are you done there, Falco?" She asked him playfully.

"Yeah, these dumb monkeys didn't stand a chance." Falco commented.

The couple then walked towards the tube Pepper was located at.

Using the butts of their guns, the glass broke and all the air accumulated inside flew out.

Falco stepped inside and pulled the helmet off the general's head, followed by trying to shake him awake.

Not longer under the effects of the vapor, Pepper slowly opened his eyelids to take a look at his rescuer.

"Hey... Pepper... Wake up!" A vague image popped up in his mind. That voice... blue feathers...

"Falco...?" He drowsily called the bird's name; When his sights were focused enough, he was relieved.

Pepper then grabbed both of the bird's forearms and looked deep into his eyes.

"Please, tell me you're on my side, Falco! _Please!_ "

"Uh, yeah; I am... Long story short: Andross brainwashed Peppy and put you against Star Fox, and then he tried to do the same to you."

The general sighed in relief, albeit still feeling terribly guilty inside.

He stood up from his seat and climbed down outside, looking around the room to take a hint of what happened.

Several guards laid down on the floor, and to his right, a bloodied Andross could be seen against the wall with many bullet holes carved into his body.

In that moment, Katt pulled his head to look back at her and told him. "You like it? I'm the one who did it. And I _better_ get some compensation for it."

Falco then lightly punched the back of her head, and she defensively turned around and asked him. "What? My ship ain't gonna pay for itself!"

"I-it's okay... When we get out of here, I'll give you something this time, I promise." The general commented.

"Good, because you can bet your ass I'm hunting you down and killing you _personally_ if you don't."

Katt responded, earning yet another punch from Falco, much harder than the last this time.

" _Quit it, bird boy!_ " She yelled, trying to punch him back and missing.

"Well, I'm glad everything's over and all... But what happened to Peppy? Is he still brainwashed?"

Pepper asked, to which Falco replied.

"I don't know about Peppy, but Star Fox is fighting Andross's army right now in Area 6."

The general then rubbed his chin and looked down for thought.

"That means Peppy's fighting with them... We have to stop it, somehow!"

"Don't worry about that, old man; I've got just the right idea... Follow me!"

Katt said as she started to walk away, the other two following close behind.

* * *

Fox had just evaded another blast with a barrel roll, and still got hit.

That small interval when the barrel roll ends could leave him vulnerable, and Peppy knew it.

"There's no escape from me, boy. _I've trained you!_ " The hare boasted through the comm.

"Wake up, Peppy. This isn't like you!" Fox pleaded once more.

How he prayed it would work this time.

For the whole fight, Fox had been trying to get Peppy back to normal, but it just wasn't working.

Not once he tried to attack his ex-teammate's ship out of fear he might kill him, but this proved to be fatal.

Peppy had no qualms about shooting Fox whenever he got the chance, and in that moment, his shields started to give in.

Now lower than 30%, Fox knew he'd have something.

If he didn't stop Peppy, the general would get brainwashed and the entirety of Lylat would be at risk.

But how? Andross's aircraft isn't as resistant as the Arwing.

That means he can't afford to shoot Peppy without risking the hare's life.

While he was busy thinking, another hit had shaken his Arwing and triggered the critical sirens... 20%

It was hopeless... Either Fox shot him down immediately or he'd be a goner.

With no other choice left, the vulpine decided to lure Peppy to MacBeth, where he'd provide the final blow.

His plan would be to destroy the ship's wings once they were close enough to the surface, ensuring Peppy's safety.

However, destiny had other plans for the two.

On the way there, Fox suffered from yet another hit to his Arwing.

His shields powered down to 10%... If he takes another one, _he'd_ be the one plummeting down to MacBeth.

It was now or never, Fox thought. He closed his eyes and muttered the words "Forgive me..."

And proceeded to fly slower than usual while Peppy boosted to chase him.

Slamming his feet on the brakes, the hare's ship had surpassed the Arwing, leaving him on perfect range to be attacked.

Fox locked on the ship's wings, closed his eyes once more, and started to rapidly trigger down the fire button.

Peppy felt the impact this caused on his ship; As soon as the wings blew up, the ship was being pulled by the planet's gravity.

The vulpine opened his eyes and was met with the horrifying sight of Peppy's ship being set on fire as it crossed MacBeth's atmosphere.

Not wasting any moment, Fox slammed his feet on the booster and tried to reach Peppy's ship.

He wanted to support it against the Arwing so it could land safely, but MacBeth's gravity proved itself to be stronger.

As the vulpine crossed the atmosphere himself, he could see the ship plummeting down to its doom and no longer engulfed in flames.

Establishing a connection with Peppy's ship, he urged through the communications channel.

" _Now's your chance, Peppy! Eject!_ "

However, the words he received as a response were the least he wanted to hear.

"I... failed you, my master... I deserve to die!"

Gravity continued to pull him closer to his demise, and the Arwing was still too far to catch him.

Fox's worries reached a peak as he could see the desert ground growing bigger and bigger as they fell.

The vulpine thought fast, and as a last resort, he launched a Smart Bomb on the desert, hoping the resulting blast would cushion Peppy's fall.

Surprisingly, it worked; The bomb hit the ground, and the wind was strong enough to send Peppy's ship flying away in another direction.

Still, his relief was short-lived.

Once the ship hit the ground, it rolled several times, leaving scraps of its carcass behind.

Fox acted quickly, almost ramming his Arwing into ground and kicking the canopy open before the right time.

He jumped out of his ship and ran towards Peppy's, cleaning the wreckage in the canopy before he got to the hare.

Eventually, he reached him... Fox found the mangled body of Peppy's buried down under the scraps.

Blood covered parts of his face and chest, no signs of broken bones, only shards of glass stuck to his fur.

That was a relief...

Fox then picked up his communicator and contacted the mothership.

"Slippy, I need you to prepare the medbay for me; Peppy's hurt, I'm bringing him back to the Great Fox!"

"What?! I can't just leave Wolf and Bill out here by themselves; It's bad enough without you!"

"Everything's gonna be fine, trust me! They know what they're doing, and besides, ROB is covering them."

"...Alright. I'll prepare the medbay real quick and then I'm coming back, got it?"

"Yeah, got it. I'll try to get there as fast as I can. Fox out!"

As the transmission ended, Fox carefully picked Peppy's body up and carried him back to his Arwing.

He then proceeded to turn on the engines, and blasted away back to his mothership.

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES_ **

_Sorry for the huge delay._

_This chapter wasn't supposed to be this short, but I haven't posted anything in a while, so I split it into two.  
_

_Don't worry, I still plan to finish this thing with 30 chapters, I'll just have to cut down on some filler._

_I've had into a big-ass list of stuff to do, not to mention, ended up really depressed for a while._

_Well, now I'm back! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. See you next time!_

_Oh, and a big shoutout to **Agustinolix** from FanFiction dot net._

_He helped me overcome a few personal issues in the meantime._

_If you're a fan of Fox/Wolf, please give his fics a chance, will ya?_


	27. Reunion - Part 2

" _MASTER ANDROSS! ! ! HELP ME! ! !_ "

Peppy begged, screaming and kicking in the stretcher he was strapped to. Fox looked at him with pity, turning to Slippy and asking in a sad manner.

"Is there no way we can fix this?"

"I'm not sure, Fox. This technology is totally new for me... I'm at loss here."

The vulpine returned his stare to his friend, yelling in pain like a mad man who just lost all of his loved ones. Back when Fox saved him, he really didn't think of the after... He just wanted Peppy to live. Now, he doesn't know whether it was a good choice after all.

Regardless, Peppy was alive, and they had to help him somehow.

"Slippy, can you put him to sleep?" Fox asked his teammate.

"Sure... For how long, though?"

"Until we know what to do with him."

The toad complied and took Peppy to a nearby machine where he pulled a gas mask and forcefully tried to strap it to the hare's muzzle. With a little bit of effort, the mask was strapped on; And as soon as the unruly Peppy inhaled the sleep-inducing air, his yells and kicks suddenly started to cease until he was finally put to his dreams.

Fox then started to think of a way to bring his friend back, not really finding a reasonable solution except for one... Andross did that to him, so he _must_ know how to undo it. That was the only solution; his team would capture Andross alive, bring him to interrogation, then get rid of him once they get the answers they need to save Peppy.

Suddenly, the vulpine's communicator ringed. He brought it to his ear and was greeted with Bill's voice.

"Guys... something really weird is going on here." The canine explained.

"What's the matter? Are you guys in trouble?" Slippy asked.

"No, it's not that. The enemy fleet is fleeing away... _all of it_!"

" _Huh?! How the hell did that happen?!_ " The confused Fox exclaimed.

* * *

"Yo, monkeys! Your loser emperor has some words to share with ya, listen!"

Falco talked through the enemy communicator equipped within Katt's stolen ship. He then moved aside and opened way for General Pepper to take in from there; The old general cleared his throat a few times, then spoke clearly and boldly.

"Attention, Venomian forces; Your leader has just been assassinated, freeing me in the process. Cease your attacks on Star Fox immediately or I'll be forced to summon the Cornerian Army to dispose of you!"

* * *

"Who cares?! They're gone. Let's just get the general and be over with it!" Wolf complained.

"He's right, we've wasted too much time already." Fox responded before turning to the toad. "Slippy, tell ROB to reroute all the power of the Great Fox to the boosters!"

"Right away!" Slippy replied before darting off the medbay.

"Wolf, Bill; Dock your ships and return to the Great Fox, we're speeding up things a little."

"You tell it." Bill said before he and Wolf returned inside.

The group then headed for the Bridge, where they stayed until the mothership reached the surface of Venom.

Slippy watched over the radars for any signs of danger, and noticed a single ship docked nearby. He turned on the monitor for that area, and what he saw surprised him, to say the least.

"Hey guys, come take a look at this!"

Wolf, Bill and Fox then moved to Slippy's side as the footage played; They were shocked to realize the general was safe and sound, and that Falco and Katt were right there by his side. Fox then opened a transmission with Katt's ship, asking no more than just "Falco?!"

"What took you guys so long?" Falco responded inside the cockpit.

Fox was too amazed to say something in return, causing Falco to continue.

"Hey, if you guys don't mind, we're gonna dock. The three of us can't fly in a single ship, ya know?"

After some consideration, the team decided to let the three of them dock inside the Great Fox, but not without being extra careful. The single pink ship reached the docking bay with Falco and the general inside the cockpit, Katt sitting in the wing. They proceeded to leave the ship behind and set their feet on the metal floors of the Great Fox.

Fox, Wolf, Bill and Slippy were waiting for them in the docking bay. All seemed well, like there would be a party of greetings and apologies about to ensue; But the moment the general put his feet on the ground, Bill stepped forward and pointed his gun at him. Fox and Wolf proceeded to do the same to Falco and Katt, respectively.

General Pepper immediately raised his hands up and shouted. "Star Fox, what do you think you are doing?!"

"First off, tell us what's his name!" Bill said, signaling to Fox.

"...What?!" The perplexed general asked.

" _Just tell us what's his name is, dammit!_ " The grey hound suddenly shouted while pressing his digit tighter against the trigger.

"Why, he's Fox McCloud. Why are you asking me something so obvious like that?!"

"Are you guys stupid?! We save your buddy here and this is what we get?!" Katt protested.

" _Hey, Einstein. I'm on YOUR side!_ " Falco yelled, indignant at how Fox was aiming at him.

The vulpine then decided to lower his gun. "Okay, that _is_ Falco!"

Wolf and Bill then lowered theirs as well as Fox walked towards the group.

"Sorry about that, general. We just wanted to make sure you were still you!"

The sand-colored hound lowered down his arms relieved and answered the vulpine.

"No... _I'm_ sorry! This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't decided to not trust you again... Forgive me!"

Pepper then felt the young pilot's gentle touch on his shoulder. "It's alright... it's all over now!"

"Thank you, Fox..." The general muttered, almost crying out of happiness.

"So uh... what _the hell_ just happened?! And how did you guys get on Venom so fast?!" Bill asked Falco and Katt.

Falco then grew a cocky grin on his beak and replied. "Ain't it obvious? We _saved the day!_ And as for how we got there-"

"I think I know why." Wolf said, interrupting the avian. He then looked at Katt and continued. "This girl's ship belongs to Andross's aircraift, am I right?"

Katt then made a 'bang' gesture with her hand and told him "Right on!"

" _You mean we've been worrying all this time for NOTHING?!_ " Slippy furiously asked.

"Hey, don't bring yourselves down like that, you guys weren't useless. If anything, you were a nice _bait!_ " Falco explained. "Just think about all the assholes we'd have to fight down there if it weren't for you, hehe!"

The four Star Fox members then glared at him pissed, with Wolf saying. "You could've told us of this little plan of yours _before!_ "

Falco then shrugged and answered. "Yeah, I could've... Then again, I'm sure _someone_ would try to ruin it on purpose." He finished before flashing a smirk at the lupine.

After that, Wolf focused all of his inner strength not to dash forward and maim the avian right there and then. A short while after, he returned Falco's grin with one of his own and told him. "You know Lombardi, you're a pretty big talker for a Mr. _I'm-Gonna-Die-a-Virgin!_ "

The smile Falco donned suddenly vanished and was replaced with his open jaws, his eyeballs wanted to burst out of their sockets at how much he was caught off-guard by Wolf's comeback, and to make it worse, Katt started laughing out loud right beside him.

He could only stare speechless and Fox and mutter the words. "F-Fox... Ho-how could you...?"

"Don't look at me like that! I barely talk to this guy."

Falco remained in the same state for the few seconds to come, until his advanced sights kicked in and he noticed a strange movement in the back of the room. Hiding behind everyone, a certain toad was sneaking his way out of the docking bay. In that moment, Falco had realized what happened and started to pull up his sleeves.

" _Slippy, you little BITCH! I'm gonna end you!_ " The enraged avian yelled and started chasing the toad.

" _Ahhhhh! I didn't do anything!_ " Slippy shouted as he ran through the hallways.

" _Hey, Falco! Leave the guy alone!_ " Bill shouted as well, joining the chase.

Now with only Fox, Wolf and the general left in the docking bay, Katt stretched her arms up and yawned quite obnoxiously, calling their attention.

"Well, it's been fun, guys; But I think my job here is done." She said before hopping back into her ship and initiating the procedures for launch. But before she could blast off into space, she looked at Pepper and told him. "Don't forget about my payment, old man... or I _will_ find you!" With that, the canopy of her ship closed and Katt flew away into the wilderness of the Lylat system.

Fox was so distracted by her leave that he was startled when Pepper approached him.

"Uh, Fox... Can you tell me what happened to Peppy?" The general asked a little despondent. "Is he alright... or did you have to...?"

"No, no, no! He's alright!" The vulpine quickly explained. "He's still brainwashed though, so we had to drug him to sleep."

"Can you tell me where he is?" Pepper asked a little less sad and more worried.

"Sure, I'll take you to the medbay!"

The two of them then walked towards the exit.

Upon reaching the opening doors, Fox noticed something happening behind; He could hear the noises of a ship preparing to leave in the room. Someone else was taking off... He looked behind, only to realize it was Wolf. Pepper didn't pay attention to the event, so he was just left confused when Fox suddenly stopped and looked at the ship departing.

"Is anything wrong, Fox?"

"What? Oh, no. Nothing's wrong!"

The vulpine said, startled once more.

Fox then decided to continue leading Pepper to the medbay, where Peppy awaited him. But while he done so, a single thought plagued his mind: where was Wolf running off to?!

* * *

The lupine docked his ship at a safe distance away from the base and, without wasting time, jumped out and ventured inside the building. ' _I gotta do this fast!_ ' he kept thinking to himself every time his feet touched the ground as he ran through the pitch black hallways of that hideout. Thanks to Andross's defeat, nobody was actually there to stop him. ' _All the better for me!_ '

Wolf reached his destination, and he was about to barge in the room, but he heard something... footsteps! Was there someone else still alive? Regardless, the sound grew louder and Wolf realized the person was coming in his direction. The lupine rapidly looked for a place to hide and decided to use the dark lighting of the location to his favor. He ran back to a T-shaped hallway from before and waited there for the person in question to pass by without noticing him.

He couldn't see who was coming until they passed by right in front of him. Wolf recognized the man right away and immediately forgot about his original motives, he couldn't contain his fury anymore... That man was Leon, the same one who had betrayed him in favor of Andross.

The lupine didn't think twice about pulling the gun on the reptile bastard in front of him, but unfortunately, this signaled Leon of his location. Wolf's lack of care caused the weapon to *click*, and as soon as Leon heard that sound, he dove forward and rolled on the ground, effectively dodging the shot and being protected by the walls.

Wolf cursed and started giving chase, aiming his blaster while running and shooting whenever he had a chance at Leon, but the chameleon wasn't making things any easier for him. Enraged, he yelled " _Powalski! Get back here and die like a man!_ "

This game of cat and mouse would last until both reached the docking bay. Leon didn't have enough time to climb back into his ship, he was panting from exhaustion and Wolf was right behind him... the lupine had him cornered now. He turned around and laid against the Wolfen's hull as Wolf approached, walking in with the blaster pointed at him and ready to shoot.

"Game over, Leon!" Wolf muttered between breaths.

"C'mon, Wolf; You don't have to do this... What would you gain by killing me?!"

The lupine laughed. "It'd make me _fucking happy!_ That's what I'd gain, you backstabbing cunt!"

"It wasn't anything personal. Back then, it was either you or me, and you know you would've done the same."

Wolf then clicked his gun once more. "Don't talk to me like you know me, I'd _never_ stoop so low like that!"

"Is that so? Heh... You're not really going anywhere with that mindset then..." Leon commented before pulling something out of his pocket. "Here, catch!" He then threw the object to the ground, it slid until it reached Wolf's feet. The lupine just threw a quick glance at the floor without losing his guard, asking.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?!"

"Consider it an apology... You're gonna need it better than me, my friend!"

While still pointing the gun at him and not dropping his guard for a second, Wolf crouched down to pick the object up. Once in his hands, he took a while to examine what kind of object that was... He concluded it had to be some sort of data disk.

Leon took this opportunity to sneak back into his ship and close the canopy shut. Wolf heard when that happened and his attention immediately shifted back to the chameleon. He opened fire, shooting the ship as much as he could, but Leon was safe behind the canopy glass. The chameleon then initiated the take off procedures and before leaving, he gave a 'goodbye' gesture to Wolf. With that, the Wolfen blasted off into space.

Wolf cursed to himself once more, then returned to examine the disk, wondering what's inside that made it so important.

* * *

Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, Fox docked his ship next to Wolf's shortly after he left.

The vulpine jumped out of his Arwing and picked up his comm. "Slippy, what's Wolf's location right now?"

"According to his comm signal, he's currently heading for an area of the base called 'Laboratory B4'!"

"Right, track that place down and take me there!"

Fox then unholstered his blaster and ran inside while Slippy remained on the comm guiding him.

The hallways were slightly different from the last base he had infiltrated; they weren't brown and full of wall equipment like before, they were pitch black. Nobody was inside, which was good; but he wondered why. He also wondered why Wolf would leave in such a rush like that, the lupine said he'd help Fox find his father before... But now, the vulpine felt there was something more to it than just that. In any case, he'd have to keep going forward and catch up with Wolf, so he could demand the answers he needed.

Eventually, Fox reached the laboratory area thanks to Slippy's instructions. He still hadn't found any signs of Wolf, even though the toad had assured him that the area he was heading for was a dead end. Tightening the grip on his blaster, Fox entered the room as the doors swooshed open before him. From the entrance, he could see a pile of dead soldiers that belonged to Andross's army, blown up equipment, and broken set of containers decorating the room. ' _What a mess..._ ' he thought.

Something then caught his attention: next to a corner in the room, there was a large bloodstain in the wall that dragged all the way to the other side of the room. The blood led Fox to a numpad that was placed in an empty spot of the room. He approached the device to investigate, and noticed how there were bloodied fingerprints on three buttons: 9, 7 and 2. The numpad was yet another four-digit password device, but this time, it seemed like there was no door around to be seen.

Curiosity led Fox to try a few possible combinations with those 3 numbers. According to his math, there would be 81 possibilities, so he'd just have to keep trying until he'd run out of all of them. The vulpine kept on pressing on the numbers, and on the 16th try, Fox got it right as the numpad produced a confirmation sound. Suddenly, the wall next to the numpad started lifting itself upwards, something that startled Fox initially. What once was a wall there now gave way to a secret passage, a stairwell that'd take anyone to another level below.

Fox took a look inside and noticed how there were still bloodstains on the right side of the walls. He readied his blaster and started descending the stairwell slowly, not dropping his guard for a second. He followed the blood path until he reached the bottom level, where it was no longer visible. The blood path then continued on the ground... Like someone had fallen from the stairs and started crawling forward. Fox continued to follow the stains until he finally found who they belonged to...

Laying on his chest on the floor with his right arm stretched out forward, there was Andross; and he was neither breathing or moving. Fox approached him, giving a few kicks to the ape's hips, each one much harder than the last; But no response would come from any of them. Furious, the vulpine yelled at the corpse. " _You can't be dead, I was gonna kill you!_ " And he wasn't just mad because he wasn't the one to deliver the final blow to Andross, but because with the ape's death, all their hopes of curing Peppy's brainwashing were now gone.

Fox started cursing in his mind. ' _Dammit... Dammit Dammit Dammit!_ ' He kept cursing to himself so much he didn't realize there was another voice trying to reach out for him until a while later. ' _Fox... You shouldn't have come here!_ ' That voice... he knew that voice... The vulpine started looking around desperately, trying to find out where it was coming from.

The room he was standing in was filled with machines and containers all around, but nothing of that was what he was looking for. He then looked to the back of the room and saw something familiar sitting in a container with several tubes connected to his body... A red furred canine, wearing an old ragged Star Fox outfit... That was him! That was his father! He really was alive, after all!

Fox couldn't contain his happiness, nearly crying out of joy as he bolted towards his father's container. He had so much joy in his mind that all of his other thoughts were clouded with the one of reuniting with James, including the ones the older vulpine tried so much to deliver to his son. ' _Please, Fox... Forget about me... Just go away!_ '

Using the butt of his gun, Fox broke the glass and threw all the spare pieces of shard aside. The sleeping gas inside the container leaked out and evaporated, and as soon as it did, Fox jumped inside to remove all of the tubes connected to his father's body. What were they for? Why did Andross keep him in there for so much time? Fox kept wondering.

Once James was finally free from the machine, Fox took the older vulpine into his arms and brought him outside, cleaning the ground from the broken glass and carefully placing his father's body to lay against it, as though he were merely sleeping the whole time. Shortly after, James sent one last message to his son, one that would probably be ignored as well. ' _You shouldn't have done this, Fox!_ '

The former Star Fox leader then opened his eyes, being greeted with the image of his son smiling widely at his presence. "Dad..." was all the young vulpine could say; he was speechless by the fact that he finally had gotten his father back with him. He then lifted James's upper body up and wrapped him into a tight hug. "I missed you so much, dad..."

Sadly, James couldn't share the same joy his son was feeling. Rather, he looked horrified; his eyes bulging out and his breathing starting to get faster every time he took one. Fox would only notice about this strange behavior once he finally let go of his father. With a confused expression on his face, he asked "What's the matter? Aren't you happy to see me?"

As these words escaped his mouth, James suddenly felt a strong migraine hit his brain and started screaming. He fell back and hit his head against the floor, he then started rolling on the ground while keeping a firm grip on his head, almost as though he was trying to crush his skull with his bare hands. Fox could only watch shocked still as his father kept screaming in pain like that; not even after five seconds of being saved. He shouted " _Dad! What's going on?!_ "

James couldn't answer his question, deciding to only mutter these words: "Fox... kill me!"

Fox didn't know how to react about that, his mind had gone into a complete halt with his father's behavior coupled with that strange request. James then got up on his knees and let out the longest, most painful scream Fox had ever heard in his entire life. Suddenly, it seemed like an invisible force had pushed the younger vulpine into the air, sending him flying away at an incredible speed, and making him crash into a few work desks that were scattered around the room.

When he looked back at his father one more time, half the room seemed to start becoming distorted; The destroyed walls, containers and desks all danced around as if they were in the middle of a wavy ocean. Meanwhile, James had a vicious look in his eyes, with bolts of electricity coming out of his body, forming an aura of pure evil around him that even his own son couldn't recognize him anymore.

The distortion began to expand, first reaching Andross. As the ape's corpse was caught by the wave of distortion, it disintegrated into a cloud of dust and simply disappeared without leaving any traces, as though it had never existed...

Fox couldn't move away, he was too injured to; And even if he weren't, his mind was completely overwhelmed with fear by that point. Wolf then showed up, running down the stairs and quickly pulling the vulpine off the ground. "We gotta go, _now!_ " The grey canine told him, lifting Fox's body up and placing him on his back. "Wait, what about-?!" The vulpine tried to protest, but Wolf cut him off. " _Forget about him, just run!_ "

And so, he did. Wolf started running as fast as he could, climbing the stairwell back to the top levels and leaving the base before the wave of distortion could reach any of them. Once they reached the outside, he placed the scared and confused Fox back on his Arwing before getting inside the cockpit himself. The two pilots then took off, seeking refuge on the Great Fox.

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES_ **

_Hey there, sorry for the cliffhanger, hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_Originally, there was supposed to be a huge-ass battle between Leon and Wolf._

_The result would be the same, he'd drop a disk and he'd run away._

_But like I said, I'm cutting down on filler to fit this into the 30 chapters mark._

_(Maybe it was for the best, considering I get a headache every time I try writing a battle...)_

_Only three chapters left now, stay tuned for the epic conclusion of Short-Circuit!_

_See you next time! ;)_


	28. Don't Lose Courage

The gates of the Great Fox opened and the Arwing flew right inside. After docking the ship properly, Wolf looked back and checked on the injured Fox. The vulpine was shaking on his spot and holding his arms together tight to his chest as if he had a cold, his breathing shuddered and face staring forward at nowhere. Wolf leaned in to touch him and asked "Are you okay there, pup?"

Fox looked at him and muttered between breaths. "What happened to my father?"

"I... I don't know..." Wolf answered, but then Fox yelled. " _Liar! You knew about it all along, didn't you?!_ " Wolf decided to let go, step back and not answer; making the vulpine take that gesture as a 'yes'. Enraged, he continued " _Why the hell didn't you tell me before, Wolf?! WHY?!_ "

" _Because if I did, you'd fucking kill me! Are you happy now?!_ " Wolf yelled back. Fox then placed a paw on his head and kept shaking it. "Falco was right, I shouldn't have trusted you... I should have _never_ trusted you! _I should've gotten rid of you when I had a chance, but I had to be this dumbass 'leader' I am and kept putting up with your BULLSHIT! All for nothing!_ "

Wolf looked at him straight in the eyes and answered "Look, I did lie about a bunch of stuff, but _I am_ sorry... _I'm sorry_ for all the shit I've done and _I'm sorry_ that this happened to your father; but right now, he's a deadly bio-weapon and _we need_ to put him down!" He tried to explain, but Fox wouldn't listen. The vulpine screamed back "My father _is not_ a bio-weapon!"

The two canines then heard a loud noise coming from the outside. Wolf opened the Arwing's canopy and picked Fox up, once again placing the vulpine on his back. He jumped out of the ship, and they looked down from above to see what was going on. Right in front of their eyes, the Venomian base started crumbling; and soon after, it disintegrated into nothing, leaving only a huge hole on the planet's ground that led to only-God-knows-where.

Right after that, the distortion wave they had seen before then started to come out of the hole's extremities, extending itself to both the ground and the air. Amidst the event, Wolf asked the vulpine. "Care to say that again, pup?" Fox didn't answer... he _couldn't_. All he did was pick up his communicator and scream into it. " _ROB, get us out of here, right now!_ " The robot complied with the request, and then, closed the gates to the docking bay.

As the mothership launched itself into the wilderness of space, Wolf started carrying Fox back inside, heading towards the med-bay.

"C'mon, pup. We gotta do something about these wounds."

* * *

Everyone waited in the Bridge until the team leader returned. Fox had decided to rest in the med-bay for about half-an-hour while Wolf patched up his injuries, then he returned to the spot where everyone was gathered. The doors swooshed open and Fox walked in, limping and supporting one arm over Wolf's shoulder.

"Where have you guys been? We couldn't find you anywhere!" Bill asked, followed by Falco's accusatory question "And _why_ is Fox injured?!" He said while looking at Wolf. The lupine ignored the accusation and led Fox to a free seat in the room, where he could talk to everyone within hearing range. The vulpine sat down and took a deep breath; he looked at everyone and told them. "We have some bad news... Dad is still alive!"

"Dad? You mean... _James?!_ " General Pepper shouted with glee. "How is _that_ bad news?"

"Why don't you ask _Wolf_ here?! He knows it better than I do." Fox spoke while signaling to the lupine with his head.

"Yeah, Wolf. Why don't you tell the general about what did you do _this time?!_ " Falco sarcastically added.

Pepper then turned to the lupine, whose face had become pale. He really didn't want to tell the truth to the general of Corneria.

The hound waited a few seconds for his answer, receiving none; he then asked. "Well...?" Shortly after, Wolf inhaled some air; and he began to explain.

"Alright... let me start from the beginning...

When I shot James down three years ago, he was captured and used as the first test subject to a machine Andross likes to call the 'Telekinetic Amplifier'. His plan was to brainwash James, send him back to Corneria, kidnap you and then do the same thing to you. With you under his control, he'd get a free pass to rule the Lylat System.

But when it was time to test the device, something went wrong with it and James became mad... Somehow, that machine gave him some sort of unstoppable psychic power that he used to start rampaging on the base. Andross managed to capture him back after a few tries and put him to sleep ever since, until he could fix the device and finish the brainwashing.

I tried to infiltrate the base and stop James myself earlier, but Fox got there before me. He released James without knowing about what happened, and now, I think he created a black hole that's expanding on Venom and destroying everything it touches."

Wolf finished explaining, and as he did, Slippy had his eyes open wide and screamed. " _A BLACK HOLE?!_ "

" _You idiot! We're all gonna die and it's gonna be ALL YOUR FAULT!_ " Falco yelled at Wolf.

" _Hey, don't blame me, you feather bag. It was Fox who released James, not me!_ "

" _And who the hell encouraged Fox to go save his father?! Was that him too?!_ " Bill said, joining Falco in putting down the lupine.

" ** _ENOUGH! ! !_** " General Pepper shouted at everyone, all of whom became silent and listened to him. "It doesn't matter who's responsible for this; what's done is done. Our main priority here should be _finding a way to stop it!_ "

"Oh, that reminds me..." Wolf reached into his pocket, pulling out the data disk he's got. "I found this with Leon, maybe it can be useful."

"Let me see that!" Slippy asked him from across the room; Wolf then tossed the disk into the toad's hands, and the toad inserted it into one of the consoles. Slippy started analyzing the data inside the storage device, and what he'd found sparked a new gleam of hope inside of him. Slippy shot up from the seat and gleefully shouted to his comrades. " _Guys, this disk contains all the data regarding the development of the Telekinetic Amplifier!_ "

Bill thought for a moment and asked him. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It's a good thing, don't you see?! With this data, we can reverse engineer a cure for Peppy and destroy the black hole!"

"And my father?" Fox meekly asked to Slippy, who then deviated his attention to him. "Is the cure gonna work on my father too?"

The toad stayed quiet for a while, but then he explained. "I don't know... It may or may not work, granted you could get close enough to him... or if he even survives after we try to destroy that thing..."

"In other words: no matter what happens, your father's dead." Falco commented, receiving an angry glare from Slippy.

The vulpine then hung his head down and responded heartbroken. "...Right!" He stood up and started to make his way to the exit, still limping and without having Wolf to support him; he didn't care if he took a fall anymore.

"Where are you going, Fox?" Pepper asked him.

"I'm just... I need some time for myself, okay?" Fox answered, leaving the room.

The others gave him their goodbyes while Wolf just watched him leave without saying anything, he felt really bad for the vulpine. Pepper then continued to talk about how he was going to send the disk's data to Space Dynamics and see what they can do with it, but Wolf wasn't really listening; his mind was completely focused on Fox. With no announcement, he got up from his seat and started to follow the vulpine.

* * *

Fox was found in his room after some search done by Wolf. The lupine opened the door without even knocking and peeked inside, finding Fox sitting on his bed and taking a few pills of some sort of medicine. The vulpine didn't even pay attention to the fact Wolf had entered his room without permission, he continued indulging on the medicine. Wolf then approached him and asked "What are you taking?" Fox responding with "Anxiety relievers."

Wolf looked around and noticed how there were quite a few empty vials scattered around the room, he asked "Since when have you been taking these?" Fox then looked at him with spite and answered: "Since three years ago." And once again, Wolf couldn't help but feel like a complete asshole. He waited for a moment for both the feeling to go away as well as for Fox to calm down, and asked another question to the vulpine. "Why are you stuffing yourself with this thing?" Fox then stopped taking the pills for a moment and glared at him; Wolf had a bit of a smile on his face, he chuckled and said "Are you scared of something, pup?"

Fox put the vial aside and asked him "How the hell can you act like this?!" with Wolf answering "Like what?" The vulpine then told him: " _Like the apocalypse could happen tomorrow and all you can do is stand there and laugh like a jackass!_ " Upon hearing this, Wolf sighed; he moved closer to Fox's bed, sitting beside the vulpine, and told him. "Listen, pup; nothing's gonna happen tomorrow! Didn't you hear what Slippy said? We're gonna find a way to destroy that thing!"

"Yeah, and then I lose my father all over again... _so much better!_ " Fox said sarcastically, he then took the vial back emptied it into his muzzle. Throwing it aside, he fished for another one in his dressers. However, as soon as he picked the next vial, Wolf grabbed his wrist; causing Fox to drop the vial to the floor. He then said "You need to lay off this thing, pup. It's gonna kill you!"

Fox didn't really listen to his advice and tried reaching down for the dropped vial. That's when Wolf suddenly grabbed him and threw him over the bed, trapping him by holding one paw over his chest and another one restraining his hands. Fox kicked and screamed to be let free, but all Wolf said in return was "Breathe!" The vulpine was caught off-guard with the question and ceased his struggles. He asked "What?!" and Wolf responded with "Just breathe, pup!"

After that, Fox inhaled some air. His chest went up and down, and he didn't feel any more relaxed. "It didn't work!" Wolf sighed in frustration and told him. "Not through your chest, you dummy; through your diaphragm. Try to fill your belly with air as much as you can without moving your chest!" Fox was really confused with all that; for him, it was all a waste of time. But then again, Wolf wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't do that; so he listened to the lupine and tried to do what he said.

After several tries, Fox managed to get the hang of it. "Good, now every time you take the air in, count to 10, and then let it out." Wolf said, rising up from the bed and removing his paws off the vulpine's body. He took the vial of pills away with him, and warned Fox before leaving: "Now stop taking this shit!" The door to his room was slammed shut and Wolf was finally gone from his sights.

Although confused, the vulpine was shocked to realize he was feeling much better after doing what Wolf told him to.

* * *

And so, the days started to pass really quick for the team.

General Pepper returned to Corneria and handled the new data to Space Dynamics, who started working on their salvation. Bill was placed back on Katina, tasked with the job to monitor the black hole's progress and alert everyone else in case something happened. As they watched, the distortion wave generated by James consumed Venom entirely in about four days, making the huge green planet be literally wiped off the system's map. This occurrence, along with the lack of an official word from the Cornerian government, caused the scientific community of Corneria to panic and theorize about the end of the worlds.

On the 6th day, the results from Space Dynamics had finally arrived.

Fox impatiently tapped his foot on the ground, waiting for the general's arrival in the Bridge along with the rest of his crew. After an eternity with his nerves on the edge, the sand-colored hound finally shows up, accompanied by Bill and holding some sort of case in his hands. Bill then stepped forward and was the first one to speak. "We have some good and bad news, folks!" General Pepper then continued from where he stopped. "The good news is that: thanks to Wolf's disk, Space Dynamics could produce a serum that is going to revert the effects of Andross's device on Peppy!" The general explained, putting the case on the top of a table and opening it.

The rest of the group gathered around it and peeked inside, seeing a set of needles containing a green liquid on them. Slippy then asked the general: "What about the bad news?" Pepper didn't respond, so Bill took his place; the grey hound told him: "The bad news is that we couldn't find a way to destroy the black hole. Since it was created by James rather than the machine itself, there's nothing we can do about it!" Everyone else then froze in place, trying to process the new facts. Falco kept his eyes closed and held his temples together, Slippy started trembling and hugging his own chest as he felt his body go cold, and Wolf just looked out the glass window into the nothingness of space while searching for a solution.

"So... we really _are_ going to die here?!" Slippy asked the group.

" ** _NO!_** " Wolf shouted at him, making everyone shift their attention to him.

"What do you mean 'no'?! He just said we can't stop the black hole, you moron!" Falco told the lupine.

"So the best thing to do is stay here with our arms crossed and do _nothing?!_ " Wolf asked him in return.

" _Of course_ we won't be doing nothing!" General Pepper clarified. "I've already ordered the construction of space rafts, we'll evacuate the people and-"

" _And leave the Lylat System?!_ " The lupine asked rhetorically, displaying his disagreement.

"What else can we do?! Ask nicely for it to stop?!" Bill joked.

Wolf then looked at the general and told him. "I'm going into that thing and I'm gonna stop it, once and for all!"

"You mean, you're going _into_ a black hole?! _You're crazy!_ " Slippy shouted at him. "You could get stuck into another dimension, _or worse..._ "

"Hey, no complaints by me!" Falco said, lifting up his hands in a shrug.

"If we don't do anything, we'll just keep searching for another system; and we'll probably not even find one. Is this what you want?!" Wolf asked the group, who looked into each other and unanimously decided to say 'no' with their silence. Wolf then continued: "It's my fault James ended up like that, so the best I can do right now is go there and fix this whole shit by myself. We've already got the cure, right? So let me give it a try, first!"

"What if the cure doesn't work?! What are you gonna do then?!" Bill asked him. Wolf then closed his eyes for an instant, took a deep breath, and responded. "If I find James and the cure doesn't work... Then I guess I'm gonna have to kill him."

Fox heard these words and jumped back, he angrily turned to the lupine and yelled at him. " _You can't do that! Stay the fuck away from my father, Wolf!_ " He then felt someone place a hand on his shoulder, he turned around once more and realized it was General Pepper. The old hound looked at him with an expression that begged for forgiveness in his eyes, and told him. "I know how you're feeling, son; but you have to understand: if we don't do anything about your father, millions of lives will be endangered! _It has to be done!_ " The general then looked at the lupine and told him: "Wolf, I know you had a very twisted past with Corneria, but now I give you my permission to destroy James if that's what needs to be done. Don't fail us, the whole system is counting on you!"

For the first time since forever, Wolf felt like he earned the respect he'd longed for. The lupine nodded in agreement and said "I'll do my best, sir!" But Fox... he felt his heart shattering into a million pieces; he couldn't take it anymore. On the verge of crying, the vulpine ran out of the Bridge without saying a word, while the rest of the team begged for him to stay. " _FOOOOOOX!_ " He made his way to one of the two docked Arwings, and once there, ordered ROB to open the gates to the outside.

As soon as the path was cleared, Fox got the ship up and running and blasted off away from his own team. The others could only watch in the radars as these events unfolded. Slippy then asked to the rest of the group: "Should I bring him back? I can try using the remote system again." General Pepper then answered him: "No, it's better this way... Fox has been through a lot with the death of his father once. Let's leave him alone for now!"

* * *

As Fox disappeared from the radars, the group decided to head to the med-bay and test the cure on Peppy before sending Wolf on a suicide mission.

The hare was found in the same position as before, sleeping with a gas mask attached to his muzzle while a life-support machine kept him alive. Slippy took one needle out of the general's case and grabbed one of the tubes connected to Peppy's body. He injected the contents into the tube, which were then transferred to the hare's blood stream. When that was done, he waited for a few moments to give the serum the proper time to take full effect.

Minutes later, the toad turned off the machine. He removed every tube off Peppy's body and carefully unstrapped the gas mask attached to his muzzle. The others stood back and prayed there wouldn't be any side effects, while General Pepper approached and stood by the hare's side. He heard a grunt, and in that moment, Peppy finally started to open his eyelids. The first thing he saw was his old canine friend blurring out of his vision, and telling in a comforting manner right after: "Welcome back, Peppy... Do you remember me?" Peppy then started to sit straight, leaning in for a hug with his old comrade. "Oh, Pepper... Forgive me!" The general then accepted his hug, embracing him and caressing his back.

" _It worked!_ " Slippy happily exclaimed, while Wolf felt chill of relief running down his spine.

"It's alright... Everything's gonna be alright now!"

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Well, this chapter was much shorter than I had expected, but oh well._

_As you've probably figured out, the next chapter will be the grand finale to this fic._

_Followed by a short epilogue of sorts._

_Will James live? Will he die? Will Fox ever find out about Wolf's little crush on him?_

_(I shouldn't have spoiled that, but I'm sure everyone knows already.)  
_

_Find out next time on Short-Circuit! See ya there!_


	29. End of the Road

Wolf laid against a wall in the docking bay. The time of redemption was getting close, but he couldn't care less about it; he was thinking about something else... Where did Fox go? Is he okay? Would he finally forgive him if he died? Those were just a few questions that couldn't stop roaming around Wolf's mind. Slippy then dropped his wrench and caused Wolf to startle. The toad then moved off from under the Arwing and signaled Wolf to come over. "It's done!"

The lupine approached the Arwing and hopped in inside, Slippy then leaned in into the cockpit and started explaining: "You see that green button over there? It's been equipped with the serum to cure James. Once you press it, a bomb will be released and once it explodes, a bunch of needles will start flying in multiple directions. You only have enough for three bombs, _don't miss them!_ " He said while Wolf kept nodding in agreement and staring blankly at the button. "Sure... sure..." It seemed like he wasn't paying attention, so Slippy asked after a few moments: "Are you okay? You don't look very excited." And Wolf responded: "Yeah... just thinking about something."

He then closed the canopy shut and started the procedure for take off. Slippy then picked up his comm and asked him from behind the glass "You sure you wanna do this?" And Wolf picked up his and replied: "It's alright, no one's gonna miss me anyway!" The transmission was shut off as the gates of the Great Fox started to open before him. Within a few seconds, Wolf blasted off into space and heading for Venom.

Slippy watched him go and thought to himself: "...I would."

* * *

"This is Great Fox to Wolf; can you hear us, Wolf?" Bill spoke through the comm.

"Yeah, loud and clear!" The lupine responded.

"What's your location right now?" The canine asked.

"I'm passing by MacBeth, will probably reach the black hole any time now."

"Right, keep us informed!" Bill put the comm down and looked to the monitor along with the rest of them, the screen showing the black hole expanding more and more as time passed. "Do you think he's gonna make it?" Slippy asked as he watched, with Falco answering. "He better, 'cuz I ain't leaving Lylat!"

As the Arwing flew around MacBeth's air zone, it detected another ship flying nearby. Wolf looked at the radars and noticed the ship was marked as 'wingman,' he realized that could only mean it was another Arwing; and the only one who had the other Arwing was... "Pup? Is that you?" Wolf asked while trying to establish contact with the other ship. Soon after, he received a reply. "My name is not 'pup', you asshole."

Wolf laughed a bit and told him: "I'm glad you're safe too, pup. Now go back, one dead guy is gonna be enough!"

"And let you have the chance to kill my father while nobody's looking?! I don't think so." Fox joked with him.

"I'm serious, Fox! If you come with me, you might get sucked into another dimension as well. Let me handle this!"

"I'm dead serious too! I'm not going back and living with knowing my father died again. This time, I'm coming with him!"

The two of them talked as they left MacBeth. Eventually, they were faced with the distortion wave growing bigger and bigger before them. Wolf looked back and noticed Fox was still following him; looks like the vulpine was dead set on doing this. Wolf wouldn't tell him to go back again, he knew it wouldn't work; so he did what he could to keep the young pilot safe. "Fox, stop!"

As he said that, both ships started to float idly in the middle of space. Fox wanted to ask what happened, but then Wolf continued. "I'm going first to check if we can go through it safely. Stay with me with your comm linked to mine at all times, okay?!" The vulpine then answered: "Alright!" Wolf then took a deep breath and slowly started boosting his ship forward until he reached the distortion point. Like everything else they witnessed, it disintegrated into a cloud of dust and vanished without leaving any traces behind.

Fox's comm channel then started to produce static. The vulpine waited for Wolf to give a sign of life, and found himself asking the same question over and over until he got it. "Wolf?! Are you okay?! Can you hear me?! Answer me!" Eventually, Fox could barely hear his voice. "I... ere... ox!" The vulpine let out a sigh of relief, he then asked: "Where are you, Wolf?" And from the other side of the hole, Wolf told him: "I don't know, this place is fucked up. There's colors flying everywhere and I don't even know where I'm going... I don't know which way is up, which way is left..."

"Hol... on, I'm... oming!" The static-filled voice told him. Sooner than later, Fox's ship popped up out of nowhere into the other side. The vulpine checked his surroundings and didn't find them to be strange... In fact, they were quite familiar to him. "Why do I feel like I've been here before?" Fox thought to himself. Meanwhile, Wolf was trying to communicate with the Great Fox, but only received more static in exchange.

Not knowing what to do anymore, the lupine turned to his wingman and asked. "So, pup; Any idea of how the hell are we gonna find your father down here?" And unfortunately for the both of them, Fox didn't have any other suggestion than just "Let's keep flying and see what we can do." The two Arwings then boosted into the unknown, with only each other to serve as a guide as to where they were headed for.

* * *

"Wolf...?" Bill asked through the comm one last time, receiving only static as usual. "We lost him!"

"Not quite." Peppy responded as he checked the consoles. "The sensors still indicate his ship is there, whole and well."

"So what are we supposed to do now? Wait forever for him to return?" Falco asked.

"No..." General Pepper said. "Wolf had a point, we should at least _try_ to do something!"

"But what can we even do at this point?" Bill asked.

"I have an idea... I'll be right back!" Slippy told them before heading off to the docking bay. The toad then returned a few minutes later and turned to the golden robot. "ROB, you know what to do!" The robot then said: "Location. Confirmed... Sending. Supplies!"

* * *

Wolf and Fox continued flying through the warped space, with the former asking the latter: "Do you see anything yet, pup?" And Fox responding: "Nothing... but If I keep looking, I think I'm gonna throw up here."

Suddenly, their radars started beeping and a small, blinking circle was being displayed on it. "What is this?!" Wolf asked, then Fox explained. "That's a packet of supplies... ROB is sending something to us!" Both ships then followed to the object's location and saw a box floating in mid-air. Wolf arrived first, so Fox instructed him: "Shoot the box, Wolf!"

The lupine followed the order and as soon as the box was destroyed, something was pulled and attached itself to his ship. The console produced a confirmation sound and started reading: "BODY HEAT TRACKER INSTALLED!" After that, the radars of his ship started displaying two blinking red dots representing the body heat of living beings; one was Fox's, and the other was undoubtedly James's. Wolf chuckled and thought "Neat!"

The lupine's Arwing then started to fly towards James's direction and he communicated to Fox: "I found your dad, pup. Let's finish this!" Fox then followed him, and the two continued flying for a few minutes as the background shifted between different colors each time they got closer. From the distance, Fox could see a blue flaming aura burning in the horizon. "Wolf, look!" He told the lupine. Upon closer inspection, the pilots had found what they were looking for.

James floated in mid-air with both arms stretched out sideways and one leg raised up. His entire body was glowing, enveloped by a purple aura that made him look like a nightmarish threat ready to oppose them. Wolf didn't waste time and fired the first bomb, which ended up kicking off James's senses. With a mere arm swing, the older vulpine created an invisible wall and disintegrated the projectile instantly. He then turned his head to look straight at Fox and Wolf approaching, his face twisted into showing pure malice.

"Not gonna make things easy, huh?" Wolf commented as Fox started screaming at him. " _Wolf, look out!_ " With another arm swing, James launched another invisible wall at Wolf. The lupine quickly boosted his ship to the side and rolled it enough just to barely escape from the blast. "If that thing touches us, we're dead!" He said while recomposing his ship.

Fox then started flying towards James and shouted. "I've got a plan, Wolf; I'll distract him while you get close enough to him and shoot the bomb. _Don't miss it!_ " The vulpine's Arwing then started shooting plasma blasts at James; he didn't aim to hit him, just to scare him enough. It apparently worked as James started swinging his arms wildly in Fox's direction, trying to disintegrate his son's very existence.

Wolf then boosted towards the older man, calculating his next shot very carefully to not miss and not give James enough time to destroy it. The former Star Fox leader seemed to be completely invested in Fox to notice Wolf's presence... perfect! Wolf didn't hesitate and pushed the green button again. The projectile was sent flying from his ship towards James's direction and exploded, with a set of needles flying towards every direction imaginable.

Three of the needles were able to hit James, but the aura around his body effectively acted as a shield; making the needles bounce and fall off without even touching his skin. James was then alerted of Wolf's presence and swung his arm towards the lupine. Since Wolf was so close to James, he didn't have enough time to evade the blast; the invisible wall had hit him and destroyed his right wing. " _Son of a bitch!_ " Wolf yelled at him furious as his ship started shaking violently.

Fox then started shooting at James again to prevent him from further harming Wolf. As he did, the lupine told him: "This is hopeless, Fox... How are we supposed to cure him if we can't even touch him?!" Fox then dodged another invisible blast sent by James and answered. "Guess we're gonna have to tire him out... Your ship's too damaged, so let me handle this!" A few moments later, the vulpine started to shoot his father with the intent of hitting him. Each time his shots connected to James, they were reflected by his aura; but in compensation, it seemed to start glowing dimmer and dimmer.

As Fox and James engaged in fight, Wolf decided to retreat; his radars had just started blinking again. The Great Fox had sent them another packet of supplies and he flew away to collect them, leaving Fox to deal with James by himself. Wolf reached the packet and shot it open, and thankfully, the packet he received contained a wing replacement. Wolf waited for the repairs to be complete, then turned around and started flying back to the battle site.

Once he returned, James's aura was almost vanishing. Fox then fired another blast at his father, and this time, it had wounded James by scratch; injuring the older vulpine and making him stop attacking Fox to tend to his wound. Fox then screamed at the comm. " _Now's your chance, Wolf! Shoot the cure bomb!_ "

The lupine didn't have to hear it twice, he aimed the targeting reticle at James and pressed the green button. The last projectile was released from his ship, exploding shortly afterwards and launching the needles containing the serum. One single needle flew in James's direction, and while he was tending his wounds, it made contact with his arm. The older vulpine screamed in pain as the serum was forcefully injected into his blood stream.

For a moment, James had become motionless. The aura surrounding his body vanished completely and he started panting from exhaustion. Fox and Wolf also stopped moving their ships, deciding to float idly as they watched James suffer under the effects of the serum. Wolf asked shortly after: "Did it work?" To which Fox responded with "I don't know... nothing's happening!"

As if on cue, his father let out another scream; this one being even more powerful than the one before; so much that it echoed throughout the whole area; so loud that both pilots needed to cover their ears and close their eyes from the pressure. Even worse was when the colors in the background started to shift faster and with even more distortion than before. Fox then asked panicked "What's going on?!"

* * *

The rest of the crew on the Great Fox continued monitoring the black hole in the hopes something happened. After much ado, it seemed like their wish was granted. A loud roar was produced by the hole that the whole system was able to hear it. The others watched horrified as the hole then began to expand much faster than before, consuming the planet of MacBeth completely in matter of minutes.

Falco then yelled furious " _That stupid motherfucker! Why did we let him try to 'fix' shit?! Now we're gonna die much earlier than before!_ "

Peppy then followed the avian's yells with his own. " _Slippy, take us out of here right now!_ "

"What about Corneria and the other planets?!" General Pepper tried to protest.

" _Now it's too late to help them; JUST GET US OUT OF HERE, SLIPPY!_ "

" _ROB, re-route all power to the boosters and get as far away as you can!_ " The toad ordered the machine.

As they fought, Bill tried fidgeting with the communicators as fast as he could; trying to find a way to communicate with Wolf.

* * *

Both pilots floated in mid-air shocked. Fox's hopes of having his father back were completely destroyed, while Wolf contemplated about if it was worth destroying them even further. Meanwhile, James curled himself into a fetal position in the middle of the warped zone, trying to heal himself and restore his powers. Suddenly, Wolf received a message from the Great Fox in the form of Bill's panicked voice: " _W...lf, the...lack..ole...ettin...big..r...much fast...an before; we only...ten minutes...gets to Corneria! If y...can hear...is... DO SOMET...ING!_ "

" _Fuck!_ " The lupine cursed to himself. He saw James in the distance, completely vulnerable to be attacked. There was no other choice left for him... He closed his eyes and mentally begged for forgiveness to both Fox and his father, then he boosted forward and started charging his laser; locking into James as a target and getting ready to fire. Fox then started screaming "Wolf, what are you doing?!" despite being completely aware of the lupine's intentions.

With hands trembling, Wolf opened his eyes once he heard the locking click; and then he pressed the fire button on his yoke. The ball of energy was released from the aircraft and started making its way towards James. It came really close to connecting against his body and destroying the vulpine, but out of nowhere, Fox's Arwing jumped in front of him and reflected the blast with a barrel roll.

Wolf picked his comm up and yelled: " _Have you gone mad, pup?!_ "

Fox then responded: " _I'm not gonna let you hurt him, Wolf!_ "

" _His black hole is about to swallow the Lylat whole, we have to kill him!_ "

" _I don't care! I'm not gonna let you kill my father! NEVER!_ "

"He's gone crazy..." Wolf thought to himself. There was only one other choice left for him, and he winced at the idea of having to do it.

"If you don't get out of the way, Fox; I'm gonna have to shoot you down!"

" _Bring it, asshole! I kicked your ass before, and I can do it again!_ "

Fox then immediately released his firepower onto Wolf's Arwing, Wolf then performed a barrel roll and started flying away from the vulpine, trying to reason with him to no avail. " _Try to understand, Fox! Everyone's going to be sucked into this dimension forever if we don't kill your father!_ " The enraged vulpine then yelled back. " _Bullshit! You just wanted a reason to kill him yourself! I know you, O'Donnell; and I'm not gonna let you do as you please anymore! NOW, DIE!_ "

Another shower of blasts was sent in Wolf's direction; he tried barreling roll his way out of it, but his ship still took damage. He really didn't want to, but he decided he _had_ to fight with Fox one last time if it meant he was gonna fix his mistakes and save Lylat.

The lupine performed a somersault with Fox following close behind. " _Ha! You can't trick me with this shit!_ " The vulpine told him, mimicking the move himself. Along the way, he didn't see Wolf anywhere, and it took far too late for him to realize the lupine had used the brakes on his way down. Wolf then started shooting mercilessly at the other ship's wings, doing his best to take Fox down without harming him.

The vulpine retaliated by making a fast U-Turn and firing at Wolf up-front, once again taking a good chunk of damage off the lupine's shields. And to complete the assault, he rammed his Arwing against the other one; drawing a large amount of damage out of both of them.

Once they recomposed their ships, both pilots floated idly facing each other. Wolf's shields were at 45% while Fox's were at 60%. The lupine felt he was going to lose it, but he couldn't; One way or another, he _had_ to bring Fox down. The vulpine watched him, and taunted into over the comm. "Ready to see _your_ father in hell, Wolf?!" The lupine then answered by opening fire on Fox and shouting: " _I'm not done yet, pup! Get ready!_ "

Both ships then engaged in fight once more.

* * *

In the planet of Titania, the small population ran towards everywhere they could to avoid the distortion wave. Ships flew away boosting at their limit, but even so, it was no match for the rate the black hole was expanding. Little by little, the desert planet was wholly consumed by it, completely disappearing from the view of the rest of the system.

Shortly followed by that was Solar; as soon as the black hole had reached it, the nearby planets unexpectedly became dark. People had become terrified, running into shelters and preparing for what they considered to be the end of times. No matter where they ran, the outcome would be the same.

The black hole went on to consume Zoness, and then Fichina, Aquas and Katina.

Finally, only one planet was standing: Corneria, and running away from its air zone was the Great Fox. The crew inside watched as the distortion wave hit Corneria and made the planet slowly disappear right in front of their eyes. Inch by inch, the blue and green planet turned into an empty lot in the vastness of space. They watched horrified as the planet was being shredded to pieces.

"Four. Minutes. Before. Impact." ROB informed the team whose nerves were on the wreck.

Bill then screamed into the comm one more time: " _C'mon, Wolf. Hurry up, for God's sake!_ "

* * *

Wolf shot repeatedly at Fox's ship as they were both on collision course. The vulpine reflected all blasts and shot his own, barely avoiding ramming his Arwing against Wolf's. Their shields remained mostly the same, but Fox would change that eventually. As the vulpine U-Turned, he shouted: "Try to avoid _this_!" The target reticle on his ship locked into Wolf's, and once he heard the confirmation sound, he released a smart bomb.

The red projectile was sent away and started following Wolf's Arwing as the lupine tried desperately to outrun it. He barely escaped, but the explosion still managed to damage his shields. It took a good chunk of his power, now being reduced to merely 20%. "Dammit, another one of these bombs and I'm toasted!" The lupine thought.

Before Fox had the chance to release the second smart bomb, Wolf had performed a U-Turn and started shooting at the compartment; he was determined to not let the projectile come out and destroy him. Fox didn't notice this and continued barrel rolling away from his lasers, and released the projectile against Wolf's ship. It exploded as soon as it came out and ended up blasting the vulpine's Arwing away.

Fox's body was thrown around the cockpit, and as the critical alarms were fired off, he took a glance at his shield monitor; shocked to realize his power was reduced to only 10%. The vulpine then found himself growling in fury and snarling at the comm " _Damn you, Wolf! You're going down!_ " Fox then recomposed his ship and flew straight on the offensive to the other Arwing, both fingers mashing down the fire buttons on his yoke.

The lupine tried to reflect the blasts away; performing a barrel roll as Fox's ship passed right by his. As soon as Wolf took a quick glance on the radars to check on where he'd gone to, he was surprised that Fox managed to get right behind him in such a short amount of time. The vulpine once again started to fire in an unstoppable rage against the other Arwing.

Wolf tried to barrel roll his way out of it, but there was still a small interval after the stunt that left his ship vulnerable to be attacked. And with Fox mashing the fire buttons as fast as he could, Wolf could feel his shields being drained slowly from their power and sending him closer to oblivion. 18%... 16%... 15%... He wouldn't last like that.

He got desperate and started to perform several stunts; Somersaulting, U-Turning... But it was futile, as Fox would mimic it and be right on his tracks not long after. There was no escape from the furious vulpine as he continued to shower Wolf's Arwing with lasers of plasma. Eventually, the critical alarms fired off as Wolf's shields were reaching as low as 8%.

"You can't lose, Wolf... Not this time... _You - can't - lose!_ " The lupine thought to himself. Soon after he did, another blast damaged his ship; leaving him with a miserable 5% of his power. There was no other choice left for him other than face Fox up front, so he performed a U-Turn and started blasting the vulpine with everything he had.

Both ships then continued to fire at each other when they had the chance, following the same pattern; passing by each other, barely ramming against the other one, then U-Turning to repeat the process.

Wolf knew he wouldn't last like that, he was on his 5% of shields while Fox was still on his 10%. The lupine then started to calculate meticulously... That small interval of time when the Arwing gets vulnerable to be attacked... One way or another, he had to master it; it was the key to his salvation.

As soon as he U-Turned again the face Fox, he fired only once at the vulpine's ship and mentally counted each half-second that passed by until the Arwing stopped rolling and returned to its former state. He continued counting it every time both ships passed by each other until he reached a consensus. Because of that, his ship would then suffer from another hit and its power went down to 2%.

Wolf was left with no other choice, he had to part for the attack and be completely precise in the moment, trusting the consensus he developed earlier.

As soon as the lupine U-Turned and passed by Fox as usual, instead of following the same pattern of turning around to meet him again, he performed a somersault and waited for Fox to come back. Since the vulpine wasn't looking, he wasn't made aware of the somersault and fell into Wolf's trap as the lupine got right behind him, exactly where he needed to be.

" _What the hell?!_ " Fox shouted as Wolf started to open fire on him. In a desperate move, Fox started barrel rolling every time he could to avoid Wolf's blasts. Just as planned! As soon as he stopped rolling the first time, Wolf fired only once - just like before - and immediately started charging his laser. Fox didn't know what he was up to, as he decided to keep rolling until he could no longer.

A couple of moments later, Wolf's predatory eye shot wide open; time seemed to have stopped just for him, it threw him a sign that this was the right moment. He mentally shouted " _Now!_ " as he pressed the fire button and sent the ball of energy moving its way straight at Fox's Arwing.

The vulpine's ship stopped rolling, and Fox was prepared to perform another stunt. But then, he was taken by surprise when his ship started shaking violently and all controls had become unresponsive. " _NO!_ " He yelled out loud, and before he knew, Wolf fired with all his might on his ship's wings; destroying them completely and leaving Fox floating idly.

Fox punched and slammed every button he could find, but to his horror, none of them worked anymore...

The vulpine was met with the cold reality: he lost to Wolf... and there was nothing else he could do about it.

Wolf witnessed the explosions, the sudden movement stop, how Fox started venting his frustrations out on the cockpit. He recognized that feeling, for he had felt the same for about four times in a row now. And still, he couldn't believe what his eye was telling him.

His hands shook with the adrenaline coursing through his body, and Wolf couldn't move any other part of it; even if he wanted to. Saving Corneria or destroying James had become a long forgotten thought that vanished in favor of another one that was running wild in his mind:

"I... I've beaten him... I've finally beaten Fox..."

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it. Happiness? Sadness? In the end, he felt nothing; dwelling in the thought that what he wanted for so long was finally accomplished... and how much he actually wished it never was now.

Screams were then shouted out of his communicator: " _WOLF, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!_ " And Wolf finally woke up from his trance; Bill's voice was way clearer than the previous attempts at communicating... Wolf realized this could only mean he wasted too much time on this. He started looking around very quick, spotting a small hint of purple and red in the distance; he realized James was about to get his powers back, and if that happened, there would be no hope left for Lylat.

There wasn't much time left, so Wolf just slammed his feet on the boosters and flew straight towards James, ready to attack him. Fox noticed this act and started banging on the canopy glass, begging for him to spare the older vulpine. " _Wolf! Don't do it! Please!_ " Fox knew it was a futile attempt, because no matter how loud he screamed, Wolf couldn't hear him; and possibly wouldn't listen to him anyway, but Fox continued as though he could. " _I beg of you, STOP!_ "

He faltered when Wolf's Arwing started charging up its lasers and lined up with his father's position, getting ready to fire. Not long after that, the laser ball was released and made its way towards James. Fox's eyes opened wide, and he banged the canopy as hard as he could with both hands as he screamed out loud: " _DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! ! !_ "

Wolf watched as his laser hit James, and the older man was being vaporized by the energy ball. Suddenly, the shifting colors in the background started fading away; and the dimension the three of them were trapped in turned into a strong flash of white light. Wolf was blinded; even with his eyelids closed, he could still see the light permeating his vision. He didn't know what happened next, only that before losing his consciousness, James sent one last message to him:

"Thank you... Wolf..."

* * *

Corneria was completely devoured by the black hole and disappeared from the face of the system, along with everything else. The only single thing still standing was the retreating Great Fox.

The black hole approached quickly and the crew could see very well the distortion wave about to catch up with them. "Ten. Seconds. Before Impact." ROB informed the crew as everyone threw themselves to the ground, covering their heads and thinking about the worst while the robot counted down. "Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven... Six... Five... Four... Three... Two... One... Zero!"

All of them stayed on the ground, shaking in fear and waiting for the inevitable; but then... nothing happened.

Peppy was the first one to realize nothing was changing in a span of a few seconds. The hare then stood up and looked out the window, being shocked from what he witnessed. "Guys, look!" He told the rest of the group as they joined him.

Corneria was being restored. Bit by bit, the planet returned to its former state like nothing ever happened to it. The population was left passed out on the streets in the exact same position they were before the black hole had hit them. The same then started happening to Katina... and then Aquas, Fichina, Zoness, Solar, Titania, MacBeth... and then Venom.

Bill excitedly lifted his arm up in the air and shouted " _Yeeeehaaaaaaa, he did it!_ "

General Pepper then held his chest tight and muttered to himself "I'm so glad..."

Slippy and Falco noticed they were hugging each other, then the pheasant yelled " _Ugh! Get off me!_ " before pushing the toad off his body.

Peppy then chuckled and commented. "Who could imagine? Wolf actually did something right for once."

Slippy got up from the ground, dusting off his uniform and saying: "Speaking of Wolf... where is he?"

* * *

"Wolf...? Come in, Wolf... Are you there? Come in!" The lupine started waking up to the sounds of Bill in the communicator calling his name. He couldn't remember well what happened; only that he defeated James, there was a strong light, he passed out... and now there he was, trying to figure out what was going on.

He looked around the place from the cockpit, analyzing his surroundings. Grey skies, a reddish brown desert... He recognized that place, it was Venom. But Venom was absorbed by the black hole, wasn't it? Wolf thought about it, and realized that meant the black hole was destroyed and everything was back to their former dimension.

Wolf felt a slight moment of joy, but it didn't last long as a new thought triggered one of his worst worries: "What happened to Fox?!" The lupine thought, starting to look every way he could in search for the vulpine, but there was no one to be found anywhere in that wasteland.

The lupine ignited his ship and launched himself into the skies, flying above Venom and searching for Fox anywhere on the ground. After a while, Wolf saw a hint of blue. He looked carefully and was able to see the Arwing crashed on the ground, the canopy glass shattered, and a red-furred body wearing a white and green uniform laying against the soil on its face.

Wolf immediately started to descend, docking his ship somewhere nearby and jumping out of it as soon as the canopy shot open. He ran towards the downed Fox; lifting him up, turning him around and trying to shake him awake. "Fox?! Wake up!" Unfortunately, the vulpine didn't move; he was wounded by the crash and had cuts all over his body.

The lupine then started shaking him more rigorously, yelling at him: "Don't die on me, pup! Please, _WAKE - UP!_ " And just like before, Fox would show no signs of life. Wolf then started trembling, realizing what he'd done to that young man and his father. A single tear escaped his crimson eye, and he started enveloping his arms around the smaller man, bringing their chests together for a hug. "I'm sorry..."

Shortly after feeling a single drop of water fall on his face, the vulpine finally started to open his eyelids; being welcomed by a familiar touch... He felt someone hugging him and thought about who it could be... then he remembered that moment. Fox's expression turned into an angry frown as he tried pushing Wolf away with one arm, yelling " _DON'T TOUCH ME! YOU ASSHOLE!_ "

Wolf was caught off guard with the surprise the vulpine still lived, and then he noticed how he was reaching for his blaster. There were no doubts about it, Fox was going to kill him. Immediately, Wolf grabbed his wrists and stopped the vulpine just as he pulled the trigger; the plasma blast being fired straight into the soil of Venom as a result. With little effort, he managed to take the blaster off Fox's hands and the vulpine fell to the ground on his knees.

Fox's eyes then started to tear up, and he started to punch Wolf in the chest; one fist after the other. However, he didn't have enough strength to actually hurt the bigger man, thanks to his injuries. The scene seemed rather pitiful to Wolf, like a child throwing a tantrum; and it was painful for him to watch, because he caused it. " _Why can't you just stay dead, Wolf?! WHY?!_ " Fox screamed before punching Wolf with both of his fists and falling to the ground on his fours.

The vulpine started to weep and sob, letting his tears fall to the ground below. He didn't care that his arch-enemy was right there, watching him as he did it; he's already been defeated and he already took away someone that was very beloved to him. His pride was the least of things he cared about in that moment.

Wolf remained silent the whole time, not wanting to aggravate the situation. He watched as Fox hit a new low with each passing second and patiently waited for it to settle down. Once the vulpine finally started to cease his wailing and calmed down, Wolf stretched out his arm to help the smaller man stand up; telling him: "C'mon, pup; we gotta fix you up... Everyone's waiting."

Fox watched perplexed as his worst enemy was there, trying to help him out right after the defeat. More bitter memories then started flooding his mind, and the vulpine ended up pushing the helping hand away; telling him: "Just go away, Wolf... leave me alone!"

"I can't leave you here, pup; you're wounded and your ship's destroyed! Besides, if you stay here for long, you're gonna-"

" _JUST GO!_ " Fox interrupted him with a furious scream. " _You already got what you want! You shot me down, you killed my father... What else do you fucking want from me_ _?!_ " Wolf didn't respond, he let Fox continue. " _You destroyed me... Are you fucking happy?! N_ _ow_ _leave me the fuck alone_ _and go_ _ruin_ _someone else's life! JUST GO!_ "

Wolf thought about his options, and decided that leaving was for the best. He started retreating back into his ship, muttering along the way: "Forgive me..." He turned his back to Fox and, without looking back, he started walking in a faster pace towards his Arwing. Once he got there, he jumped inside the cockpit and closed the canopy shut. The communicator was still transmitting the message from Bill, so Wolf picked it up and responded:

"This is Wolf to the Great Fox, I'm on planet Venom right now and Fox is here with me. He's wounded, so you guys better get over here right now and treat him ASAP!" He said without another word, putting the comm down and turning it off. And as a final measure, he sent a distress signal to the mothership; that way, they'd be able rescue Fox without having to trace his Arwing for it.

Finally, Wolf initiated the take off procedure. All systems were activated in an instant and his ship started floating. He looked one last time through the glass to see an angry Fox glaring at him with the most hateful expression he'd ever seen in his life. Wolf then looked away from him and blasted off into space, leaving Fox all alone just like he wanted.

He wished he could make good to his initial promise, "after everything is said and done, you'll never see me again." But he knew the moment he looked into Fox's eyes one last time, that wasn't going to be. For some reason, it seemed as though history wanted to make them eternal enemies. It didn't matter if one tries to be friendly with the other; inevitably, they'd meet again and fight like enemies, further strengthening their rivalry.

Or at least, that's what Wolf liked to think. Although he didn't like it, he was ready to accept this fate; and so, he continued roaming around the emptiness of space, hoping to never be seen again.

* * *

THE END

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES_ **

_Well, this is the end of Short-Curcuit; hope you liked it!_

_There was a longer ending, where Fox would lie to the general about Wolf shooting him down, Wolf would be pissed off, and then Assault happened and all that stuff. I dropped that ending because Pigma and Andrew are dead here and because this fic already has enough unnecessary edgy bullcrap as it is._

_Of course, there's still the extended ending and the sequel fic, but those are mostly for people who are here for the Fox/Wolf shipping._

_Thanks to everyone who stayed with me through-out this whole experience, and thanks to the people who reviewed me and gave me reason to go on. I know I'm not the best writer ever, but really, thank you!_

_The next chapter and so on will be 100% shipping material, so if you could care less about that, get out of here while you still can._

_Once again, thank you all for reading this fic to the end!_

_You're awesome! ‹3_


	30. Epilogue: Still Dawn

In celebration of Father's Day, I give you this chapter!

Enjoy!

* * *

Wind was blowing from every direction in that desolate planet; breathing was a chore, and Fox was sure he'd already caught about a million diseases by that point thanks to his open wounds.

It had been several hours since Wolf left him; the vulpine was cold, thirsty, starving and his injuries hadn't been treated yet. Fox didn't mind it at first, but after a few hours alone and with his mind back on its place, he started to regret his decision. His ship was destroyed, all the controls were unresponsive, no way to contact his comrades, and there laid; abandoned in Venom until anyone could find him.

Fox then started thinking about Wolf; he had long accepted that the lupine did what he did for the sake of everyone... and that's what bothered him. When did Wolf turn from psychopathic space pirate into savior of mankind? And why? His mind flashed back and forth between every moment; whey they first met and Fox was brutally beaten, when Wolf brought his drunken form back into bed, all the times he gloated about killing him, when Wolf saved him from overdosing himself...

And yet, there was still that moment. When he woke up and fell a drop of water fall on his face; it wasn't acidic like the rains of Venom, that was just water; and it just so happened when Wolf was hugging him. Fox started to wonder, was Wolf crying for him? He was an enigma that Fox couldn't decipher no matter how hard he tried.

Something in the skies interrupted his thoughts. A large object was creating shadows over the ground, making Fox look up and realize it was the Great Fox hovering over Venom. The vulpine quickly stood up and started waving his arms to his crew, screaming: "Hey! Over here!" After some time, the mothership started to descend; docking in the deserts of Venom and opening its gates for him.

Fox then stepped on board of the docking bay. The moment he did, Slippy barged out of the electronic doors and ran towards him with open arms, screaming " _Fooooox!_ " He pounced on Fox and hugged him tight, welcoming his friend back. Sadly, the vulpine wasn't really feeling in the mood to be happy, so he just caressed Slippy's back for a while and let him go.

"Hey, Slip... Where are the others?" He asked the toad in a monotone voice.

"They're inside; But forget about that now, we have to patch up these wounds!"

The toad then took his hand and started leading him to the med-bay. As they left, Fox looked around the docking bay and noticed how there was an Arwing docked there. That wasn't possible because the other Arwings were crashed on Venom... It could only mean Wolf had returned to the mothership. Fox then immediately felt himself burn in anger.

Sure, Wolf did save Lylat, but forgetting about everything else he's done in the past wasn't going to be easy. As they walked, Slippy commented something to him: "By the way, there's someone who _really_ needs to see you right now." And Fox answered: "Tell him he has five minutes to leave my ship before I throw him back on Venom!" Slippy then stopped walking and turned to Fox, asking him: "Who are you talking about?!"

"Who else?! Wolf Fucking O'Donnell!" The vulpine angrily responded.

Slippy then sighed irritated and told him. "It's not Wolf, Fox!"

"It's not?! ... Then who is it?!"

"Just shut up and follow me, okay?!"

The toad then retook his hand and started leading him to the med-bay. Once they got there, Slippy stopped by one of the windows and gestured for Fox to look inside through the glass. The vulpine turned around and what he saw sent his brain into a full stop... He pressed his face and both of his palms against the glass, and stayed looking at the dormant figure in the life support bed for a few minutes. That was James, his father!

"Bu... Bu... B-but h-how...?!" The vulpine asked stuttering. Slippy then explained: "Wolf found him in the way back from Venom and brought him aboard. Apparently, his powers protected him from dying while he was in space."

Even with the revelation his father was still alive, the vulpine couldn't bring himself to feel happy; he let his fingers slide down the glass and told Slippy: "It's useless; we already tried to cure him and it didn't work... He's just going to start another rampage." The toad then comforted him, saying: "That's not true! The reason the serum didn't work was most likely because we used an advanced revision of the Telekinetic Amplifier. It may take a while, but we can still find the right revision under the data and find a cure for your father, Fox!"

The vulpine then asked: "You really think it could work?" And Slippy replied with: "We'll never know if we don't try!" Fox then looked at his father once more, lying there unconscious. He really wanted to have him back, but after going through a painful loss twice, and knowing the added risk of James starting another rampage, he decided it was better to not get his hopes up; he was convinced something would go wrong.

"Now, come! We have to treat your injuries!"

* * *

After getting his wounds patched up, Fox said his thanks and good-byes to Slippy; The vulpine then proceeded to enter the Bridge. There, he found Peppy and Pepper talking about something he couldn't hear from the distance. The two old friends spotted the young pilot and walked over to welcome him. Once Peppy approached him, he immediately enveloped the vulpine into a hug, saying: "Oh, Fox... forgive me for causing all of this mess!"

"It's okay, Pep... It's not your fault!" Fox answered while patting his back.

General Pepper then adjusted his cap and told him: "Thanks again, Fox; for saving the Lylat System and even bringing James back to us. Your father would be very proud of you, son!" The vulpine then became confused, asking "What?!" Pepper then started laughing and told him: "Hohoho~ You don't need to be modest, Wolf told me about _everything!_ How he was about to be destroyed by James, but you came back at the last second and sacrificed yourself for his sake."

"He... he told you that?!" Fox asked, becoming speechless for a few moments.

After thinking about it, he held his head up high and said to Pepper: "I've got something to tell you, general; the truth is... When the serum to cure my father didn't work, Wolf tried to destroy him... I tried to stop him, and he had to shoot me down..." Fox trailed off as Pepper's smile turned into a sad look of disappointment. The vulpine then hung his head down in shame and muttered: "...I'm sorry."

Suddenly, he felt Pepper's gentle hands patting over his head. "I understand, Fox; don't worry about it... But if you see Wolf, tell him I want to have a personal word with him. Take care!" The hound then made his way out, leaving Fox alone with Peppy.

The hare then followed him, but not before holding Fox's shoulder and telling him. "You really _are_ becoming more like your father, young man!" To which Fox replied by snickering and saying. " _Yeah, I wish!_ "

Peppy then departed, leaving Fox alone. The vulpine started wondering about why Wolf lied to the general, eventually deciding the only one who could answer that was Wolf himself. And since he had returned to the mothership, Fox had the perfect opportunity to ask him just that. He then turned to the golden robot and asked him: "ROB, could you tell me Wolf's location?"

"Wolf's. Location. Is: In. The. Recreation. Room!" The robot answered.

"Thanks!" And with that, Fox parted in search of Wolf.

* * *

After arriving in the recreation room, Fox realized Falco and Bill were there as well; sitting in a bar stool alongside Wolf, having a good time. Laughing, taking a chug out of beer, talking about random topics. It seemed so good that they didn't even notice Fox entering the room... and apparently had forgotten about the fact he was stranded on Venom for about several hours.

Fox then started giving a few more steps towards the group and Bill finally noticed him. " _Fox~ You made it!_ "

In that moment, Falco and Wolf also turned around to see him. However, Wolf faced away right after and avoided eye contact with Fox.

The hound then approached him and offered his drink "Here, have some booze!" The vulpine politely declined and asked the two of them to step out for a while, as he wanted to have a little talk with Wolf. Bill agreed, saying before he left: "It's a shame I gotta go back to Katina tomorrow... Really wish I could spend more time with you guys. See ya, bud!"

Falco then fell on Fox and supported himself against his shoulder. Apparently, the avian had taken a few too many doses of alcohol; he then said: "Hey, man. I gotta tell ya, I was wrong about Wolf; seriously, this guy's awesome!" Fox didn't know whether it was Falco or the beer speaking in his place, but he decided to not question it and just let the avian leave before he fell asleep on his arms.

Finally, it was time for the main attraction: Wolf O'Donnell. The lupine continued to ignore Fox's presence and stayed with his sights completely focused on his glass, staring at his own reflection. Fox then peacefully took a seat beside him, and waited for a few minutes until Wolf said something.

As the lupine didn't say anything, Fox asked as soon as Wolf took the next chug out of his beer: "Hey..."

The lupine continued drinking, not even bothering to look at him; and replied shortly after: "Hey..."

A wall of silence came upon them. Wolf would just take slow chugs out of his beer while Fox waited until the lupine said something to him. Many moments had passed by and Wolf was saying nothing... Fox's patience was about to run out, but then, Wolf had finally opened his mouth to speak. "Fox... about your father... I-"

"You don't need to apologize, you did what you had to." The vulpine said in a stern manner, interrupting him. Wolf then sighed with relief and replied: "Thanks for understanding!" As Wolf continued taking sips out of his drink, Fox commented after a while: "By the way, I told the general about what happened on Venom."

Suddenly, Wolf's glass stopped in mid-air just as he was about to take another chug. The lupine finally stopped avoiding contact and turned around to look at Fox, seeing the vulpine looking back at him; not angry, but also not happy. Wolf remained speechless for a while, wondering why Fox spoke the truth when he didn't even need to; specially when he hated him the way he did.

Wolf then put his glass down, looking at his own reflection once more, and asked nothing more than "Really?" Fox then responded: "Yeah, and now he told me he wants to have a private talk with you... Looks like he has big plans for you, buddy!" Hearing that, Wolf chuckled and responded: "Thanks again, pup."

Strangely, Fox didn't really mind the nickname this time. Probably because he was still affected by what happened and wasn't in the mood to argue with Wolf. He just let it slide and watched as Wolf took another chug of his beer like nothing else was wrong.

Fox got tired of waiting, and finally asked what he really wanted to know: "Why are you still here?"

"What do you mean? I'm part of your team now, remember?" Wolf asked a bit confused.

"Well, what I mean is... You shot me down already; completely surpassed me. You'll probably be getting a lot of fame now, and also a lot of money... Not to mention, everyone will probably know that I tried to stop you and you kicked my ass! Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Wolf just laughed and answered his question: "Don't get me wrong, pup; I'm happy about that. But I stopped caring about it _long_ time ago." He finished, taking another chug out of his beer. He smacked his lips together, tasting the alcohol, and continued: "Oh, and I didn't surpass you, that was just luck. You're the better pilot, Fox!"

Once again, Fox didn't know whether it was the alcohol speaking or the guy himself; he never imagined he'd hear such words escape that lupine's mouth.

Regardless, the vulpine decided to go straight to the point once his questions were answered: "Do you remember your promise, Wolf?"

"I don't know... which one?" The lupine asked, to which Fox responded:

" _We'll save your father, then you'll never see me again._ "

Hearing that, Wolf almost choked on his beer. He then turned to Fox, and was met with a dead serious face.

His hands couldn't stop trembling against the glass, almost crushing it. Wolf couldn't believe it, after all this time working together... "Seriously, pup? I save your team, I save Lylat, bring your father back to you, help you destroy Andross, help you save your friend... and you still treat me like _this_?!" The lupine asked in an resentful and hurt tone.

"Look, Wolf; I'm gonna be completely honest with you: I _don't care_ if you turned good for real, or if you're just doing this for money and to get your fifteen minutes of fame... The point is: I can't ignore the fact that you've been making my life miserable for about _three years in a row!_ "

" _I told you already, I'm sorry!_ " The lupine lashed out at him.

"And I told you already, _I - don't - care!_ " Fox yelled back. "Get this through your thick skull: _I can't forgive you!_ Even if I wanted to, I still can't. You've _made me_ into this, Wolf; I can't _stand_ spending five minutes with you on the same room, because I _know_ something bad is going to happen, and then I start to lose my mind! _Please..._ at least _try_ to leave me alone!"

As soon as Fox finished speaking, Wolf was once again looking down on his own reflection at the glass. The lupine didn't say anything, just kept nodding in agreement with his muzzle sewn shut. A while later, he muttered in the same hurt tone as before: "I understand... Once we step back in Corneria, I'll leave."

And for the first time in forever, Fox actually felt happy for Wolf, telling him in a soft tone with a weak smile: "Thanks, Wolf." The lupine noticed this and chuckled, returning the mood Fox was giving him. "Heh~ just forget about it, pup." He then picked a bottle of alcohol on the counter and offered it to Fox. "Booze?"

Then, the vulpine gladly picked up a spare glass on the counter and lifted it up to him. "Sure, why not?"

As Wolf poured the drink into the cup, he commented: "I'm gonna miss arguing with you, pup."

"Ditto." The fox answered.

* * *

And so, the time passed; one month, to be precise. Wolf kept his promise and left the Great Fox as soon as they reached Corneria. James was then transferred to a hospital located nearby Space Dynamics, so they could study his body better and perfect the cure that they were developing for him. General Pepper revealed to the public the events that led to the black hole incident, announcing the definite defeat of Andross and the return of James McCloud. The population of Lylat then started praising Wolf as a hero, while Star Fox remained as old news.

The Arwings that crashed into Fichina and Venom were recovered by Slippy, who immediately started fixing them and restored them to their former condition. With the four Arwings functional, Peppy saved from Andross's clutches and Falco back on the team; Star Fox was finally back on their tracks, and they wouldn't have it any other way. Even if they had to take a little vacation due to Wolf's success, but they didn't mind it much with everything else considered.

One early morning, about 5 AM; the Great Fox was contacted by Space Dynamics, informing them that the cure for James was complete and was ready to be tested. Fox, Slippy, Peppy and General Pepper all rushed to the hospital where the cure would be administered to him.

Once they got there, one of their scientists informed them that the serum had already taken full effect on the vulpine's body; and additionally, a bomb was planted on the back of his head in case he started to cause another rampage and plunged Lylat into another dimension once again.

Fox kept that in mind as he carefully walked up to his father, his hands trembling like never before as the life support was turned off and the gas mask was taken off his muzzle. Everyone else took a step back and watched anxious as they waited for the moment James would wake up and show them whether or not he would be a threat.

After what seemed like forever, James opened his eyelids. He saw Fox in front of him, rubbing over the fur on his face with his paws. The young vulpine then asked: "D-dad... A-are y-you... feeling alright...?" James then looked around for a few moments; realizing that not only he was conscious, but he also didn't feel a overwhelming short-circuit take over his consciousness. The older man then gave his son a big, wide smile. "I've never been better before, Fox."

Hearing that, Fox felt every single pain in his heart vanish, instantly being replaced with happiness. His eyes let out tears of joy and he smiled along with his father, crying out as he pounced on the older vulpine: " _Daaaad!_ " Fox hugged him tight as James laid against the bed. The older vulpine felt a slight hint of pain, but he suppressed it for his son; scratching the fur behind the back of his head just like he always did.

" _James!_ " Peppy screamed right after Fox, joining him on hugging the ex-mercenary. "Oof! You're gonna suffocate me, guys!" Lastly, General Pepper slowly walked up to him, holding his right hand with both palms. "Welcome back, my friend..." James acknowledged it with a nod as Pepper also started crying out of joy.

That emotional act would go uninterrupted, until James told all of them: "I'm glad to be back too... _Now get that stupid bomb off me!_ " Suddenly, everyone stopped and looked at him confused. Fox, specially, got up from his position and asked: "How did you know about that?!" James then gave his son a wide, cocky grin; along with a *bang* gesture with his hand; he said: "Instinct!"

The group started laughing, feeling the warmth of the sun radiating through the window as it rose above the blue skies of Corneria. Fox then looked outside as a new day began, not only for him; but also to Peppy, General Pepper, and of course, his father.

"It's finally over!"

* * *

THE END

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES** _

_Woooooo! I did it! After nearly a whole fucking year, I finally did it! I finished this godforsaken fic! Ahahahahahahaahahaha!_

_*Ahem* Sorry about that. So, there you have it: the goddamn ending. As I said previously, everything will start becoming more lighthearted from here on._

_I'm gonna take a short break from this to plan out my little sequel, it will be called "Protected by the Stars". If you guys wanna stay tuned, please follow me as an author and it'll give you automatic updates through your e-mail.  
_

_I also plan on launching a revised version of this when I have the time. Although I'm much more satisfied with this than I was with the original TISC, there are still many parts I've written on this version that I wish I never did. Particularly on the first few chapters._

_Once again, thank you all for reading through these 30 chapters; all of you who stayed with me during this whole time._

_You guys rock!_


End file.
